sport news Gerard Pique blasts Barcelona for blaming him, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba ... trends now
Gerard Pique has blasted former employers Barcelona after the departure of a number of club legends this season, who he believes were blamed for the Blaugrana's ongoing financial issues.
Pique hung up his boots for good earlier in the 2022-23 season, before club captain Sergio Busquets and veteran defender Jordi Alba confirmed they would leave the Nou Camp at the end of the season.
As a result, the most senior and most experienced players in the Barca dressing-room have now departed, with Busquets the last surviving player from Pep Guardiola's Treble-winning side in 2009.
The club has been crippled by financial struggles for several years, with apparent mismanagement leading them into economic despair, with a number of big-money signings made in the last six years since the departure of Neymar.
But there have also been hefty contracts dragging down the wage bill, with the likes of Busquets and Alba still on expensive deals that the club had been keen to get rid of in the hopes of better balancing the books.
Gerard Pique hit out at Barcelona after several long-term players left as a result of their heavy wages
Pique (centre), Sergio Busquets (left) and Jordi Alba (not pictured) have all left the club this term
Alba still had a year remaining on his deal at the club but announced that he would be leaving
However, Pique has taken aim at the Catalan giants, claiming that although he is happy with his decision to leave and alleviate some of the economic distress, he does not see that much has changed.
'I'm glad I left because I gave Barça space on the salary scale. But it seems that, despite this, there are still financial problems,' he told Ibai Llanos and other members of the Kings League - one of his several post-retirement ventures.
'I wonder who should go now. They said that we are responsible for our salaries (Pique, Busquets, Alba).
'Now, we've all left and yet they can't sign players!'
Barcelona's financial disorder left them being told they must generate £178million just to comply with LaLiga rules back in March, and the departures of both Busquets and Alba will surely have gone some way to achieving this goal.
However, they have been vocal in their desire to bring Lionel Messi back to
