After Lionel Messi became furious that his contract details at Barcelona were leaked to the press in 2021, Catalan police have found that the club intentionally provided information to members of the media in an attempt to hurt the player's reputation.
According to Cadena SER, the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan police, claim to have found evidence suggesting former board members Oscar Grau and Roman Gomez Ponti leaked Messi's contract to the press two years ago.
The information carried by Spanish publication El Confidencial surfaced just five months after Messi had attempted to leave the Blaugrana, showing the Argentine would earn a total of €555 million over just four seasons if certain conditions were met.
It is said the findings come from devices obtained by authorities during their "Barcagate" investigation, a scandal that involves former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and some of his ex-colleagues.
The disgraced club chief came under fire after being accused of hiring a social media company to target key members of the first team, such as Messi and Gerard Pique, and is facing potential jail time for his alleged crimes.
Amid a wave of strong backlash, Bartomeu stepped down as president before being succeeded by Joan Laporta, whose campaign to be voted in for a second term was largely built around Messi's future.
While the Spaniard claimed to be the only man capable of extending the Argentine's contract in Spain, Messi did ultimately part ways with the club in August 2021 as a free agent.
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