MADRID, Spain, March 20- Pep Guardiola said he was still convinced that his Barcelona side will not win La Liga, despite two dropped points by rivals Real Madrid at the weekend.
“My opinion wouldn’t have much value if I went back on what I said a few days ago. Of course mathematically we can be champions but I still think the same thing: we won’t win La Liga,” he told a news conference.
Real had their lead over Barca cut to eight points on Sunday after an unexpected 1-1 draw at home to Malaga, a day after the Catalan club beat Seville 2-0 away.
A cautious Guardiola warned that Real will drop very few points but Barca had too much ground to make up, whatever supporters wanted to believe.
Barcelona on Tuesday take on Granada while Real go to struggling Villarreal.
Messi the highest paid footballer
Meanwhile, Barcelona and Argentina’s Lionel Messi is the world’s highest-paid footballer, followed by David Beckham of England and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, according to France Football magazine.
Barcelona talisman Messi earns some 33 million euros ($43.5 million) a year with a 10.5-million-euro salary, 1.5 million euros in bonuses and 21 million euros in advertising and other contracts.
Former Manchester United midfielder Beckham, now at LA Galaxy, takes home 31.5 million euros, largely due to his 26 million euros’ worth of advertising and endorsement contracts.
Real Madrid’s Ronaldo earns 29.2 million euros, from a 13-million-euro annual salary and 15.5 million euros from off-the-pitch revenue, France Football said in an article to be published on Tuesday.
Ronaldo’s coach at the Camp Nou, Portugal’s Jose Mourinho, topped the list of highest-earning managers with 14.8 million euros a year, followed by Paris Saint-Germain’s Carlo Ancelotti (13.5 million euros)
