Ex-Barcelona Director Points Finger at Messi's Inner Circle for Club's Financial Meltdown

Ex-Barcelona executive Emili Rousaud pointed to the "shameful" conduct of Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba as a primary reason for the monetary troubles that still burden the La Liga titleholders today.

This trio collectively featured in 1,719 matches for the Catalonian club throughout their successful period at Barcelona. When the COVID crisis struck in early 2020, eliminating gate receipts that constituted a massive portion of their total earnings, Piqué, Busquets and Alba ranked among the club's most expensive players in terms of wages.

None could rival Lionel Messi's astronomical paycheck. However, Rousaud argues that while the Argentine's compensation was warranted, other squad members had leveraged Messi's presence to secure excessive payments that exceeded their actual worth.

"Barcelona's issue was having the world's finest player [Messi], and he alone justified the wages he received," the former executive revealed in his newly published memoir, The Faith of the Entrepreneur.

"However, there was influence from Leo's inner circle—Jordi Alba, Piqué, Busquets—they all demanded salary increases, pressuring the president. This satisfied Leo's requirements, leading to ridiculous wage inflation."

"It wasn't that Piqué lacked defensive skills," Rousaud added, "but he wasn't the planet's top defender, yet earned the highest wages. The system functioned while victories continued. Every organization needs salary balance, and this collapsed. Then the pandemic arrived, drastically cutting revenue without ticket sales."

Most critically, Rousaud alleges that "Messi's circle" showed unwillingness to provide financial assistance to the club. "The players refused salary reductions," he stated. "This left me feeling ashamed as a supporter, not as an executive. They wouldn't sacrifice a single euro."

Messi was eventually compelled to depart Barcelona in summer 2021 when the club's financial situation became so dire they couldn't offer him any contract. Barcelona subsequently announced that Piqué, Busquets and Alba all agreed to "salary cuts" that year to facilitate Sergio Agüero's signing. "It was necessary," Piqué remarked then. "We take pride in this choice."

Barcelona continues facing major financial obstacles. During the previous season, Spanish government intervention was required to ensure Dani Olmo's registration for the latter half of the 2024–25 season. Nico Williams's worries about experiencing similar problems allegedly influenced his decision to reject the club this summer.