Getty Pique has been criticized by a friend of Messi.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has come under fire for comments he made about his sadness at seeing Lionel Messi leave the Camp Nou in the summer and head to Paris Saint-Germain.
Alfonso Aguilera Rosique, a friend of the Messi family, has taken to Instagram stories to criticize the defender. Aguilera published a screenshot of an article from Diario Sport which had the headline, “Pique: ‘I cried when Messi left Barca” with the following message, as shown by journalist Gerard Romero.
💥 OJO! La castaña que le pega un amigo de la familia Messi a Piqué en su instagram 💥
“Gerard Pique, you’re so false and arrogant that not only you didn’t cry, but you also told the mediocre Joan Laporta, that if he wanted to build a winning team, he had to sell Leo Messi,” read the post. “That same Messi who rescued you from Zaragoza when nobody wanted you because you held grudges, you are spiteful, envious and a bad teammate.”
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Did Pique Betray Messi?
Rosique’s criticism of Pique will continue speculation that the relationship between the two players has broken down completely following Messi’s exit from Barca.
Spanish newspaper El Pais has previously reported that Pique told Barcelona president Joan Laporta not to renew Messi’s contract last summer because it would fix the club’s Financial Fair Play problems.
Messi admitted in an interview with France Football that he returned to the club in summer 2021 expecting to sign a new contract only to be told that it was not possible and he would have to find a new club, as reported by Get French Football News.
Sport director Luis Mascaro has since explained that he believes Messi is upset with Pique, as reported by Marca. “Messi is hurt by some of his teammates because he thinks they didn’t support him enough,” he said. “He knows that Pique told Laporta that if Messi had to leave, it wouldn’t be a problem.”
What Exactly Did Pique Say?
Pique spoke to former Manchester United team-mate Gary Neville about Messi in an interview for The Overlap. The center-back spoke about his sadness at seeing the forward depart but also said he understood why Messi left.
“I cried when Messi left Barcelona. I cried for him. For the career he had at Barca, it would have been great if he had stayed until the end of his career at the club. I can understand why Messi couldn’t renew. The club was suffering a lot economically because of the past president and how he managed the club,” he said. “At the end of the day, these are things that happen in life. Sometimes you make a decision and things don’t work out.”
Pique, who came through the club’s La Masia academy with Messi, also went on to speak about how he believes forward is the greatest player to have ever graced the game but thinks Barcelona need more than just the Argentina international.
“Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of the game,” he added. “Messi was Barcelona’s best player. I’ve always said that we had Messi to win titles, but we also had to have a good team. A single player cannot win titles.”
Messi went on to sign a two-year deal with PSG and has helped the French club win the Ligue 1 title in his first season at the Parc des Princes. The forward also picked up the men’s Ballon d’Or for a record seventh time in November 2021.
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