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Ex-Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has re-entered public discourse after breaking his silence on several defining moments of his time in charge, including the club's financial collapse and Lionel Messi's notorious "burofax" episode.
Few figures in Barcelona's recent history have faced more scrutiny than Bartomeu, who served as president from 2014 until his widely celebrated resignation in October 2020.
To this day, many hold him primarily responsible for Barcelona's dire financial state, including his successor and newly re-elected president Joan Laporta, who has repeatedly claimed he "saved Barça" from the perilous situation the club found itself in when he returned to office in 2021.
Bartomeu sat down for an extensive interview with El Matí de Catalunya Ràdio, where he defended his time at the helm and attempted to address the most contentious issues of his presidency. The club's financial troubles were front and center, with Bartomeu appearing to attribute Barcelona's near-bankruptcy to two key factors.
Two Factors Responsible for Barcelona's Economic Issues
The latter portion of Bartomeu's presidency saw Barcelona's wage bill balloon dramatically, becoming the symbol of the club's financial woes. From Bartomeu's perspective, the crisis was triggered when PSG paid $263 million (€222 million) to activate Neymar Jr.'s release clause in the summer of 2017.
"The wage bill exploded following Neymar's exit," Bartomeu said. "PSG poached him by paying his release clause. From that point, we struggled to keep other players from leaving, particularly given the enormous financial muscle of state-owned clubs and the Premier League.
"As a consequence, we pursued certain contract renewals to stop players from walking out. More than the salaries themselves, it was essential to increase the release clauses."
However, wages for players like Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba also climbed during their renewals, alongside new release clauses valued between €400–700 million.
Three years after Neymar's exit came what Bartomeu considers the final blow to Barcelona's once-healthy finances: the Covid-19 pandemic.
"[My legacy] is entirely shaped by Covid-19," Bartomeu stated. "At that time, Barça were a club in strong sporting and financial health, growing and generating income. [The pandemic] caused revenues to collapse, and across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Barça absorbed losses of €500 million, which devastated the club's financial standing."
Bartomeu's presidency was already on shaky ground before the pandemic, however, with chants of "Bartomeu dimisión!" (Bartomeu resign) frequently ringing out around Camp Nou even before Covid struck.
Less than a year into the pandemic, Bartomeu stepped down under enormous pressure, ahead of a vote of no confidence initiated by Barça shareholders that would have effectively forced him out. The financial troubles were among the reasons, but Messi's desire to leave the club in the summer of 2020 was arguably the biggest factor in Bartomeu's undoing.
Bartomeu Breaks Silence on Infamous Messi 'Burofax Saga'
A year before an emotional Messi said goodbye to Barcelona in the summer of 2021, the Argentine icon formally notified the club of his wish to depart via a burofax. Messi's intention to leave was seen as yet another black mark on Bartomeu's presidency, and he has now offered his version of events.
"In August 2020, when Messi asked to leave, I told him no," Bartomeu admitted. "Because he was our most valuable asset and one of our primary revenue streams. I couldn't hand him the release letter [which Messi requested in order to become a free agent], and besides, he was still under contract.
"I believe he understood, which is why he stayed. He expected a new board of directors to arrive within months and renew his contract. His shock came when it was time for his renewal and they let him go."
With Bartomeu out of the picture, Messi was willing to extend his stay at Barça, but incoming president Laporta—who had pledged to re-sign Messi if elected—ultimately went back on that promise, citing the club's fragile financial state, bringing the Messi era at Barcelona to a close.
Bartomeu's Barcelona Legacy
While many Barcelona supporters view him as a villain, Bartomeu stood by his legacy as president and the situation he left behind following his resignation, reiterating that it was severely impacted by the pandemic.
"Being president of Barça is no easy task," Bartomeu said. "We accomplished a great deal during our time. When people discuss our legacy, they overlook the physical infrastructure. We constructed the Estadi Johan Cruyff and La Masía."
On the field, Barcelona claimed their most recent Champions League title just over a year into Bartomeu's presidency. The club also won La Liga four times and secured four Copa del Rey trophies.
None of those achievements came in the final 12 months of his tenure, and gut-wrenching or humiliating Champions League exits came to define the closing years of his presidency.
Bartomeu holds little admiration for Barça's current board, particularly Laporta, but he acknowledged that the appointment of manager Hansi Flick was an excellent call. He also argued that the current Barça squad should be considered part of his own legacy.
"The best decision made in recent years was bringing in Flick," Bartomeu said. "And assembling a team that is also part of our inheritance, because out of the current 23-man squad, 10 or 11 players came through during our tenure."
For context, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri are the only first-team signings from the Bartomeu era who remain part of Barcelona's 2025–26 squad.