Gerard Pique has hit out at former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, accusing a man that occupied the boardroom at Camp Nou for over six years of lying to him and Lionel Messi over the infamous ‘Barcagate’ scandal.
It was alleged during the spring of 2020 that a PR company hired by the Liga giants to manage the club’s reputation had been encouraged to paint a more positive picture of those behind the scenes while disparaging iconic figures on the field such as Messi, Pique and Xavi.
Bartomeu, who was forced from office in October 2020, claimed to have no knowledge of what was going on, but it later emerged that he had been pulling certain strings and those that had sought to defend him in public were made to look foolish.
What has been said?
Pique was among those to speak out in support of Bartomeu and told YouTube star Jordi Wild of his regrets: “Why am I angry with Bartomeu? Because he lied to me about Barcagate, when the club hired services to criticise players, as he told Lionel Messi and me to our faces that he didn't know anything about it.
“We told him that we accepted that and we expected him to take the appropriate measures. Only then I found out that he did know.
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“For him to lie to my face on such a serious matter, I looked like an imbecile by defending him.”
What else has Pique been saying?
The 2010 World Cup winner, who has spent the last 14 years back at Barcelona taking in over 600 appearances and claiming several major honours, has been discussing a number of other topics.
He claims to still have a “very close relationship” with former Barca boss and current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, while he is hoping to see France international forward Ousmane Dembele sign a new contract in Catalunya that will prevent him from dropping into a free agent pool this summer.
Pique has also been speaking about his favourite rivalries, with the 35-year-old – who is married to Colombian pop star Shakira – revealing why derby dates with Espanyol are “better than sex” and preferable to Clasico clashes with arch-rivals Real Madrid.
He has said: “I've had as much money as Espanyol's entire budget for a while now.
“I like going to Espanyol's ground more than Real Madrid's, so I was happy when Espanyol got promoted because I get to go and play there.
“I like going on to the pitch, being whistled at, then you laugh and they get even more p*ssed off, there's nothing like that in the world, I'd say it's better than sex.
“I enjoy it a lot more than against Real Madrid. It's a pent-up anger, a resentment for years. The fans at Real Madrid are posher and they're do-gooders.”
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