Pique Opens Up On Messi's Barca Exit

"Messi's departure [from Barcelona] is similar to my departure when I was 17 years old. It's hard to leave a club like Barcelona, but there are situations in which a decision must be made," Gerard Pique has told Sky Bet.

"Man United came with a good sporting and economic offer for me. I asked Barcelona to extend my contract with a salary that was a third of what Man United was going to pay me, but Barca said no. I felt that they did not have confidence in me, so I decided to leave.

"Yes [I cried inside when I saw Messi leave]. After the career he has had with Barcelona, ​​it would've been nice if he stayed until the end.

"Messi is now playing at another big team, and he will win titles there, but with the fun we had when he was here, it would've been nice if he had stayed," the Barca veteran concluded.

While Pique may sound emotional here, rumour has it he was the key person behind Messi's unexpected Barcelona exit. The 35-year-old reportedly convinced Joan Laporta that the team should start the rebuild without Leo, also noting that the Argentine's departure would help solve the club's financial crisis.

Messi supposedly hasn't met Pique ever since he joined Paris Saint-Germain. Their relationship is deemed 'broken'.

Source: Tribunal