Gerard Pique received a salary payment of 2,328,884.39 euros on December 30, 2021, the 34-year-old center defender of Barcelona revealed on Twitter. Piqué indicates that this was fifty percent of his net salary in 2021: his annual salary thus came to 4,657,768.78 euros.
Piqué’s startling post comes in response to reports from Lluís Canut. The journalist claimed in the program on Thursday evening Our Bee TV3 that the club icon of Barcelona last calendar year raised a total of no less than 28 million euros, but that turns out not to be correct. “People like this are paid by the public broadcaster to defend their friends,” Piqué lashes out at Canut, who claimed that Ousmane Dembélé and Philippe Coutinho were unfairly criticized because “after all, they are not the absolute top earners”.
Personatges com aquest cobrant d’una televisió pública per defensar els seus amics. Aquí tens el 50% de la meva nòmina cobrada a 30 de desembre. Respecta’t una mica. https://t.co/luHsMMqJD8 pic.twitter.com/l4IAtqvexU
— Gerard Pique (@3gerardpique) January 7, 2022
Canut came up with more amounts, because according to the Catalan, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba received 23 million euros and 20 million euros respectively from Barcelona last year. The Spanish top club came with an official response on Friday, in which the reporting is firmly denied. “We consider this inappropriate, unprofessional and acted in bad faith in claiming that this information is accurate,” Barcelona said in a statement.
According to Barcelona, Canut’s information on player salaries has not been reinforced by the club and its origin is unknown. “In any case, the amounts mentioned are incorrect, and the impression is given by Piqué, Busquets and Alba that these are fixed amounts, while working with variables, and therefore these bonuses may never be achieved. It is also not true that Piqué, Busquets and Alba have only postponed their paychecks, as has been claimed, as the trio also handed in part of his salary last summer.”