Rumors: Details emerge of dressing room fall out at Barcelona involving Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique

One of the biggest news stories of 2021 from the footballing universe was Lionel Messi's exit from Barcelona. It was a marriage that no one in their dreams thought would ever break and there were hardly ever any signs of damage. But Barcelona were in ruins financially and they had to ease the burden on their wage books.

Questions will always be asked about whether the hierarchy of the Spanish club could have worked an arrangement, let go of their other players and kept Messi. Despite leaving for Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine remains a popular figure at Barcelona and his former teammates have often spoken about the void he left.

It is no secret that the Argentina international had a close inner circle at Barcelona and veteran defender Gerard Pique was a part of it. However, it seems like the trust and relationship between the two players has taken a hit and the Argentine is not happy with the defender.

The PSG forward has visited Spain a couple of times since leaving for France and has taken the opportunity to hang out with former Barca teammates. Messi was in Spain for the last couple of days and had dinner with Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

However, Pique, who given their long-standing relationship was expected to accompany them, was nowhere to be seen. El Nacional and reports from Culemania say the rift between the two La Masia graduates started back in 2020 when Josep Maria Bartomeu was still President.

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"You are a Judas" - Lionel Messi feels Pique is partially responsible for his Barcelona exit

The Spanish defender decided to take a pay cut as a gesture of goodwill and had extended his contract along with Frenkie de Jong, Marc-André ter Stegen and Clement Lenglet. However, it was around this time that Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets led discussions in the dressing room regarding the salary cut.

Pique is said to have skipped those discussions and lowered his salary without any prior notice or signs to his teammates. The two veterans felt that the defender was being manipulative in his actions and dealt with the situation from both sides of the dressing room.

It is also being reported that after Pique's contract renewal in October 2020, a message was left on the dressing room board. The phrase apparently said, "You are a Judas" and it was understood that it was directed towards the Spanish international.

Journalist Lluis Canut suggests that the defender's pay cut helped with the registration of Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Rey Manaj. The PSG forward feels disappointed with his long-time friend and thinks he has been deceived.

Pique's drop in salary happened after the club decided to part ways with the Argentine maestro in August, 2021. The former Barcelona No.10 believes that had this pay cut been taken a few weeks earlier, it could have prevented Messi's exit from his boyhood club.

Pique has spoken positively about the Argentine in recent months after his transfer to PSG, but the relationship probably feels like it's damaged beyond repair.