Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barcelona’s president from 2014 to 2020, has broken his silence to discuss pivotal moments of his tenure including Neymar’s departure, the Messi saga, and financial troubles linked to the pandemic.
Bartomeu insists the club’s situation was not a “bad inheritance,” but significantly influenced by COVID-19. Prior to the pandemic, Barcelona was financially sound and growing, but consecutive losses of around €500 million during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons severely impacted the club.
On Messi’s 2020 attempt to leave, Bartomeu states he refused to grant a free transfer because Messi remained the club’s most important asset both on the pitch and financially. He explains that Messi anticipated a new board renewing his contract but was shocked when that did not happen.
The former president explains the wage inflation after Neymar’s exit, as PSG triggered his release clause and offered much higher salaries. To retain key players like Messi, Alba, and Busquets, Barcelona raised release clauses, complicating squad management and finances.
Bartomeu criticized the post-pandemic handling under later management, accusing the club of artificially inflating losses in 2021, which led to losing its financial fair play status despite warnings from La Liga. He suggests this could have been avoided.
Regarding the Negreira case, Bartomeu says he ended the relevant contract in 2018 and opposed sharing club documents with Real Madrid. He also described the hiring of Nice Team to monitor social media as a protective measure amid turbulent times, rather than anything sinister.
He expressed surprise and concern about the awarded contract for Camp Nou renovations going to a Turkish firm, pointing out that the project his team planned was more cost-effective and better suited to the club’s needs.
Bartomeu’s era was marked by both sporting success—securing multiple La Liga titles and the 2015 Champions League—and controversies that deeply affected the club’s financial and institutional stability. While he partly attributes the crisis to the pandemic, fans and analysts remain critical of his approach.
For Barcelona supporters, understanding these details is crucial to appreciating the challenges in the club’s transformation and cautiously looking forward, learning from the mistakes of the past.
