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Lionel Messi. Xavi. Eric Abidal. Gerard Pique. Andres Iniesta. Under Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's golden generation was at the peak of its powers. While most of these players have written themselves into Catalan lore as legends of the club, a select few have increasingly become stains on the its once-glowing reputation.
Barcelona have historically been a club that has taken pride in its values and principles. Over the past year, those values that have made Barcelona 'more than a club' have been raked through the mud.
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Barcelona have repeatedly found themselves in turmoil
To say that the Blaugrana are in the midst of a rough patch would be an understatement at best. In the 13 months since former president Josep Maria Bartomeu's arrest, murky details have emerged regarding a series of administrative misadventures during the previous regime.
The filth now seems to have seeped into what was supposed to be Barcelona's renaissance era, with club veteran Gerard Pique's reputation now irreversibly corroded. The Catalan giants have effectively made a mockery of their own motto.
Joan Laporta has made several promises to turn the club's fortunes around. While Barcelona do seem to be improving on the pitch under Xavi, the club's propensity for scandal still sticks out like a sore thumb. Here is a look at five incidents that have dented Barcelona's image over the past two years.
#5 Eric Abidal's links to PSG's Kheira Hamraoui
Eric Abidal was a respected figure in Barcelona during his playing days and earned the respect of the sporting community after his battle against cancer. His stint as the club's sporting director, however, was anything but inspirational.
In November 2021, PSG midfielder Kheira Hamraoui was attacked by masked assailants in the French capital. After an initial round of investigations, the French police reportedly found that Hamraoui had contacted Abidal on the morning of her attack.
In a shocking turn of events, Eric Abidal's wife went on to file for divorce, claiming that the former left-back was having an affair with Hamraoui. The former Barcelona sporting director issued a public apology to his wife and has since seen his standing as a club legend crumble.
#4 Lionel Messi's burofax to Josep Maria Bartomeu
Barcelona's reliance on Lionel Messi during the latter stages of his Blaugrana career was - for lack of a better word - toxic. Messi was made solely responsible for his team's success and when this short-sighted approach inevitably failed, he bore the brunt of the Spanish media.
Messi carried a visibly limited Barcelona side to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2020 before Bayern Munich handed them an 8-2 defeat that irreversibly scarred the squad. A few days after the debacle, the Argentine forward sent the club a burofax in which he expressed his intention to unilaterally end his contract.
While such a clause did exist in Messi's contract, the club's then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu claimed that his club's record goalscorer had reached out a little too late. With the COVID-19 pandemic ripping up the season's schedule, Messi had allegedly missed the deadline to exercise the clause.
The decision to sabotage their best player's departure effectively dismantled Barcelona's relationship with Lionel Messi. The Argentine did not hold back in a stunning interview after the saga, effectively destroying Bartomeu's ambitions for an extended term.
#3 Lionel Messi's free transfer to PSG
Barcelona have had to contend with a number of debacles in the transfer market, but this particular incident takes the cake. After years of financial mismanagement, the Catalans were unable to afford the wages of the best player in the history of the sport.
To make matters worse, PSG were able to since Messi on a free transfer, dealing a massive blow to the Catalans' La Liga and Champions League prospects. While the Blaugrana did manage to recover and secure a top-four finish, their inability to renew Messi's contract arguably cost them silverware and a sizable fanbase.
Joan Laporta has been proactive in his push to balance the club's books, but his indecisive approach to this transfer saga remains a stain on his presidential tenure. Laporta's interviews after the transfer have also left a sour taste and have further strained what was once an unbreakable bond between Messi and the Catalan club.
#2 Gerard Pique's split with Shakira
Gerard Pique's lifestyle has been at the centre of a proverbial storm in the Spanish media and has produced another high-profile scandal that could ruin the defender's flailing career. Pique has allegedly cheated on Shakira over the past several months and the couple have recently announced their separation.
Pique has also been accused of sending lewd messages to a Brazilian model on Instagram and has been hung out to try by the Spanish media. The Barcelona defender has reportedly become quite the party animal this year and is reportedly living in an apartment with Riqui Puig.
While the impact of this scandal on his football is yet to be assessed, Pique is unlikely to remain a fan favourite at the club. Gerard Pique's underwhelming performances in recent years have put him under severe scrutiny and his reputation off the pitch has now taken a nosedive as well.
#1 Bartomeu's smear campaign and arrest
Professional football clubs operating at elite levels seldom shoot themselves in the foot, and Barcelona managed to do just that under Josep Maria Bartomeu. In early 2020, shocking reports of the president's smear campaign against high-profile Blaugrana stars Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique emerged, throwing the club into a state of chaos.
According to the investigation, Bartomeu engaged the services of media firm I3 Ventures to paint his own players in a bad light. The club's former CEO Oscar Grau was reportedly Bartomeu's partner-in-crime in a scandal that also took aim at club icons Messi, Pique, and Pep Guardiola.
Following a search of the club's offices, Bartomeu was placed under arrest in March 2021. The former president and his advisors had allegedly engaged in criminal misdemeanour and had grossly overpaid the firm to boost his chances of winning the election.
