Gerard Pique has criticised former club Barcelona for financial mismanagement after they missed out on the chance to re-sign Lionel Messi.

The Argentine legend was available on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain - a club where he spent two inconsistent seasons - and Barça had been incredibly confident of re-signing him this summer.

Messi has instead joined MLS club Inter Miami, admitting in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and SPORT that the financial issues at Barcelona led to his decision.

He said: "I heard it was said La Liga had accepted that everything was fine for me to return, there were still many other things that had to be done. I heard that [Barcelona] had to sell players or lower player salaries and the truth is that I didn't want to go through that."

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Speaking at a Kings League event, Messi's ex-teammate and Barcelona legend Pique lambasted his former club for the financial issues that led to the club missing out on signing the greatest footballer of all time.

"I'm glad I left because I gave Barça space on the salary scale. But it seems that, despite this, there are still financial problems. I wonder who should go now. They said that we are responsible for our salaries [Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba].

"Now, we've all left and yet they can't sign players [Lionel Messi]!"

Pique left Barcelona in December 2022, mutually terminating his contract to help the club financially. The defender had spent 15 successful seasons at the club prior to that, winning nine La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions Leagues.

This article was originally published on 90min as Gerard Pique hits out at Barcelona after missing out on Lionel Messi.