It’s been a rather eventful retirement for ex-Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. Pique’s company, Kosmos Holdings, has been at the center of a takeover of the tennis tournament, i.e. the Davis Cup, and is in the midst of an ongoing row with the ITF. Additionally, Pique has faced turmoil in his personal life with his highly publicized breakup with his ex-wife Shakira. However, now the former Spain defender has rejected becoming President of his old club, Barcelona, rather surprisingly, according to reports.

Pique played for Barcelona between 2008-2022 and won 9 La Liga titles and 3 Champions Leagues with the Blaugrana. But according to the latest reports from the Spanish media, Pique has been asked about taking over as President of the Catalan club, and his answer was perhaps unexpected.

Gerard Pique rejects Barcelona president role in recent conversation

According to a report in the Spanish media outlet Sport, Pique had some discussions with the Barcelona hierarchy and VIPs at the recent Moto GP race at the Circuit de Catalunya.

The Sport report states that: “[Barca officials] had a very pleasant conversation and did not hesitate to ask Piqué if he was already thinking about returning to Barça as president.”

The report further states: “He is away from the world of professional football and, at the moment, he is not thinking about returning. He feels very comfortable participating directly in his business and has not even considered fighting for the presidency of Barça in the coming years.”

This might surprise Barcelona fans, who could use Pique’s business knowledge and expertise to revamp the next phase of their evolution as a club. This is particularly because of the club’s financial turmoil in recent years.

Also read: “I Was Dedicated to Him” – Prioritized Ex Gerard Pique Over Career, Shakira Recounts Difficulties In Her Music Career

Barcelona’s financial struggles continue

As per earlier reports, La Liga released their spending caps for all clubs in Spain for the 2023/24 season. Barcelona’s salary cap was reduced from $692 million to $288 million. This paled in comparison to their bitter rivals Real Madrid who have a cap of $775.5 million. Barcelona’s cap was also lower than Atletico Madrid who have a cap of just over $315 million.

According to reports, the Catalan club’s debt was well over $1 billion, ahead of the start 2023/24 season. As a result, the club has been forced to sign several players on loan deals as well, as compared to full-time contracts, including their latest acquisition of Joao Felix from Atleti before the transfer window closed.

However, on the pitch the Blaugrana did win the La Liga title last season, but whether the club can sustain itself in the coming seasons remains to be seen.

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