Gerard Pique was absent from the Barcelona celebrations on Monday after the club secured their first La Liga title in four years this weekend.
The central defender confirmed his retirement from football – a decision that will reportedly save the club £46million – back in November. He made 10 appearances across the campaign, including featuring in six league matches.
It comes amid reports that Pique persuaded the Catalan club to part ways with Lionel Messi back in 2021. Messi joined PSG on a two-year contract that year after ending his career-long association with the Catalan giants. It was a tearful farewell from the Argentine star, who had verbally agreed a new contract with the Blaugrana – but a deal was not possible.
Barca were unable to register any extension for the Argentine superstar due to La Liga’s strict Financial Fair Play rules and the club’s precarious situation. Messi was not informed of the decision until the eleventh hour by club president Joan Laporta, leaving the player stunned.
Pique was a key figure in persuading Laporta that Messi leaving would not entirely be a bad thing, and that the club would be able to recover without their long-serving superstar – both their record appearance holder and club record scorer.
The former central defender was invited to the squad’s celebrations throughout the streets of Barcelona on Monday as they celebrated their long-awaited league title success. However, he decided against attending the event – despite having featured in six games of the title success.
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Messi is now expected to leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the current season, as reported by Mirror Football . Barcelona remain keen to sign the superstar, who celebrates his 36 th birthday this summer, but that attempt may be difficult due to their ongoing financial difficulties.
In April, Barcelona transfer chiefs confirmed contact had been made with Messi regarding a potential return to the Camp Nou. There is also an offer on the table for the Argentine superstar from Saudi Arabia – but he prefers to stay in European football.
Pique’s retirement announcement followed claims that the defender had a falling out with Barca boss Xavi over a lack of playing time and a leak of the player's contract at the club by Spanish media outlet El Mundo. The 35-year-old had 18 months remaining on his contract, which had been due to end in June 2024.
