With Gerard Pique having announced his shock decision to retire from football mid-season, the reason for the Barcelona legend's call might have been revealed.
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Though the 35-year-old veteran did not explain why he has decided to walk away from football, it seems the timing of his retirement could mean Barcelona's early UEFA Champions League exit influenced his call.
Pique, according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, is also willing to give up the €40 million that the Catalan giants would have paid him over the remainder of his contract that was set to expire in 2024.
The Spaniard, however, was at fault for one of the goals that ultimately cost the Blaugrana their place in the tournament, though it is the financial aspect of the team's failure that might have been on Pique's mind, compounded by his "tense" relationship with president Joan Laporta in recent months.
"It is a surprise that Pique has done it now, but less if you think that he was being made a villain by the club, as his wages were so big and he was being pushed out to reduce the wage bill," Balague explained to the BBC.
"He's the fifth-choice centre-back and he's aware of that. Pique always said he would retire when he got to the point that he couldn't give Barcelona anymore. And he is also aware that legends at the club have left on bad terms when the club started to twist the narrative to make them the 'baddies' of the story. The situation with the club's president Joan Laporta was tense in recent times and coach Xavi had continued to play him only when it was completely necessary.
"Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets all had big contracts, worth about 250m euros between them, some say. Busquets is going to Inter Miami so Alba will be the only one left. Pique has now left on his own terms and Laporta only learned a few minutes before the video came out. Pique kept it very, very quiet."
A boyhood fan of the club, the ex-Spain international has on a number of occasions put his hand up in desperate times for Barcelona, who were only able to sign Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay in 2020 after he agreed to slash his wages.
The selfless act from the player was praised by Barcelona supporters, but their patience with the club legend appears to have worn thin in recent weeks amid a poor run of form, and particularly after his high-profile mistake against Inter Milan.
Due to what has transpired, it is believed Pique's decision to call time on his career could be his way of acknowledging he is no longer the player he once was, while also appearing to want to help Barcelona financially.
The economic consequences of the Catalan giants' European failure has left the club in a difficult situation, having reportedly budgeted to at least make it to the tournament's quarter-final stage.
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