‘Treble only because of Messi and Co.’

Agusti Benedito has claimed that the Barcelona’s treble success happened in spite of Josep Maria Bartomeu, while Luis Enrique only contributed “a bit”.

Speaking to EFE on Saturday, the presidential candidate also claimed his rival’s board was “weak and passive”, highlighting their lack of business acumen, which did not “befit the best club in the world”, and “arrogant” in the Neymar tax case and illegal signing of minors.

“The vast majority of Catalans know that the treble wasn’t because of [Joan] Laporta, [Sandro] Rosell and [Josep Maria] Bartomeu,” he said.

“Luis Enrique [helped] a bit, but everyone knows that the treble happened because of [Lionel] Messi and the players.

“Any Barca President would’ve won [the treble] with Messi and a squad like the current one.

“[Bartomeu’s board] was weak and passive, and the club aren’t economically strong enough to undertake major projects [such as the renovation of Camp Nou].

“Barca are the hottest brand in world football, but no-one will knock at our door with a cheque for 80m [referring to Manchester United’s Adidas deal].

“It’s clear that [the previous board] haven’t done their job well. They failed to exploit the enormous potential befitting of the best club in the world.

“The Barcelona jersey is the most precious in the world. [The previous board] don’t know the market if they think that only Qatar are interested in sponsoring [our jersey].

“[Referring to the Neymar tax case and illegal signing of minors], they acted arrogantly.”

Tags Agusti Benedito Joan Laporta Josep Maria Bartomeu Lionel Messi Luis Enrique Sandro Rosell
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