Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Topics: Gerard Pique, Barcelona, La Liga
Nasir Jabbar
Former Manchester United defender Gerard Pique once responded to claims about his salary at Barcelona by sharing his payslip on social media.
Back in January 2020, Pique was one of three Barcelona first-team players who had their wages supposedly 'leaked' by Spanish TV3 programme Onze.
The now-retired defender strongly denied the claim that he was on a large salary during his time at Barca and shared his bank statement on X, formerly Twitter, which revealed half his annual pay.
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As you can see from the image below, the payslip shows that he earned £4 million (around £75,000 per week) for the year 2021.
Spanish journalist Lluis Canut, who worked for the Spanish TV station, had claimed he was in fact earning £11.7 million for just one season.
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Underneath the screenshot of his bank statement, Pique wrote: "Characters like this charging public television to defend their friends. Here is 50 per cent of my payroll collected on December 30th. Have some respect for yourself."
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Following the claims made by Canut, Barcelona also released their own statement of denial.
They wrote: "In relation to the manifestations of Mr Lluis Canut carried out yesterday in the programme 'Onze' of TV3, FC Barcelona wants to clarify the following:
“1. The information on the salaries of certain first team players has not, in any case, been supplied by the club and its origin is unknown.
“2. In any case, the amounts referred to in the information are erroneous and do not conform to reality. Furthermore, in the case of the first three players referred to [Pique, Busquets and Alba], it gives fixed amounts which, as the sums involved are based on variables, will possibly never be reached.
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“3. It is also false that the aforementioned players have only deferred their salary. Pique, Busquets and Alba gave up part of their salary when they signed contract renewals last summer.”
Canut made the same claim about Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who both played for Barcelona at the time.
Pique announced his surprise retirement from football in November 2022, and called time on his career following a La Liga clash against Almeria days later.
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He subsequently became president and owner of the Kings League, an indoor football league held in Barcelona.