Spanish press reports claimed that Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was behind the sudden departure of Argentine star Lionel Messi from the ranks of Barca, during the last summer transfer market, to Paris Saint-Germain, after the end of his contract with the Catalan club.
According to the Spanish newspaper, El Pais, Pique advised Barcelona President Juan Laporta not to renew the contract of Argentine star Lionel Messi, in order to overcome the severe financial crisis that the club is experiencing, and made him unable to renew the contract of the Argentine flea.
The newspaper added that the Barca defender told the club’s president that the only solution to stay within the limits of fair financial play, is for the Argentine star not to stay with the team to overcome the current financial crisis.
And Messi suddenly left Barcelona last summer, after the Catalan club’s management decided not to renew his contract, under the pretext of the financial crisis that the club suffers from due to the accumulation of debts, in addition to the players’ high salary bill.
The Argentine flea left the “Camp Nou” castle, after many successful years in the Barcelona shirt, during which he led the team to win all possible tournaments, and Messi also won many individual awards, thanks to the impressive levels he made since his first appearance in 2005.