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Gerard Pique did not attend Barcelona’s Players’ Championship celebrations on Monday despite making 10 appearances for Xavi Hernandez’s side earlier this campaign.
Gerard Pique was absent from Barcelona’s celebrations on Monday as the club secured their first La Liga title in four years this weekend.
The centre-back confirmed his retirement from football – a decision said to save the club £46million – back in November. He made 10 appearances during the campaign, including six league appearances.
According to reports, Pique persuaded the Catalan club to part with Lionel Messi as early as 2021. Messi joined PSG on a two-year deal that same year after ending his career with the Catalan giants. It was a tearful farewell for the Argentina star who had verbally agreed a new deal with the Blaugrana – but a deal was not forthcoming.
Barca were unable to register an extension for the Argentine superstar due to La Liga’s strict Financial Fair Play rules and the club’s precarious situation. Messi was only informed of the decision at the eleventh hour by club president Joan Laporta, so the player was surprised.
Pique was a key figure in convincing Laporta that Messi’s departure would not be all bad and that the club could recover without their long-term superstar – both their goalscoring record holder and club record goalscorer.
The former centre-back was invited to a team party on the streets of Barcelona on Monday as they celebrated their long-awaited league title. However, he decided not to take part in the event – despite being involved in six championship matches.
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According to Mirror Football magazine, Messi is now expected to leave PSG when his contract expires at the end of the current season. Barcelona still wants to sign the 36-year-old superstar th birthday this summer, but the company may be difficult due to their ongoing financial difficulties.
In April, Barcelona’s transfer chiefs confirmed that Messi had been contacted about a possible return to Camp Nou. There is also an offer on the table for the Argentina superstar from Saudi Arabia – but he wants to stay in European football.
Pique’s resignation followed claims that the defender had fallen out with Barca boss Xavi over a lack of playing time and the Spanish media leaked the player’s contract at the club. World. The 35-year-old had 18 months left on his contract, which was due to expire in June 2024.
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