Barcelona’s financial problems have had a major impact throughout the club and even though few will feel sympathy for highly-paid footballers, it has led to significant financial sacrifices. In contrast to many other businesses, the incompetent management of Barcelona is there for all to see though.
On Tuesday night, Barcelona vice-captain Sergi Roberto came out with a startling revelation about his salary. With the club tight up against their salary limit and Roberto out of contract, it was widely reported that he took a significant pay cut in order to sign a new one-year contract. He confirmed that to RAC1 (via MD).
“Right now I am earning as if I just came from the B team, but I do it with pride because I want to be here.”
“I wanted to stay here and now I’m enjoying it. For me the economic side is not important. Now what I wanted was to enjoy things. One year? Well, then just a year. I wanted to be physically fit again and enjoy myself again.”
After making it clear that the money was not the important thing, Roberto continued on to explain that he was not the only one who went out of his way to help the club.
“I did not have to reduce my salary because my contract ended. We had to negotiate a new one. The captains have also made an [economic] effort. Two years ago we were the only ones who did it. We made the effort but we didn’t want to say anything.”
The 30-year-old has said that he hopes to renew his deal again for next season.
Roberto was well-liked at Camp Nou for many years and still enjoys strong support, but in recent seasons, has faced significant criticism online. Since making his debut 11 years ago, he has only been a guaranteed starter for three to four seasons, but has been used regularly by every manager since 2016.
