How Bartomeu's board referred to Messi: Sewer rat and a hormonal dwarf

The messages exchanged by the former Barcelona board of directors, the one chaired by Josep Maria Bartomeu, reveal the sharp animosity that the club's leadership felt towards the heavyweights in the dressing room.

Gross insults are used and blackmail is alleged, particularly by Leo Messi. The man from Rosario and also Gerard Piqué were clearly the most hated.

In a series of leaked WhatsApp chats, Román Gómez Ponti, then head of Barça's legal services, spoke with particular annoyance.

Bartomeu, Òscar Grau, who was CEO of the club, directors such as Jordi Moix, Oriol Tomàs and David Bellver, financial director Pancho Schroder and Javier Sobrino, director of Strategy and Innovation, also participated in some of these conversations.

The leak

On the day of the publication in 'El Mundo' of Messi's Barça contract, the chat fumed, in particular about the origin of the leak.

It is the day that Gómez Pontí unleashes a brutally disrespectful rant against Messi. It is Jan. 31, 2021 -- by which point all of them are already out of the club.

Among other things, he reveals a supposed message from the Argentine to president Bartomeu in which he tells him during the pandemic that he can reduce the salary of the other players but that he should not touch his or his friend Luis Suárez's.

Gomez Ponti writes: "Barto, honestly, you can't be such a good person with this sewer rat. The club gave him everything and he has dedicated himself to dictating signings, transfers, renewals, sponsors just for him etc. I could never do it but to the figures in the contract, you also have to add Pinto, Suarez's renewal, Jordi Alba's and the commission for Ansu Fati's renewal (Rodrigo Messi, agent? But if he doesn't know how to even read and his partner is a drug dealer). And above all the accumulation of blackmail and rudeness that the club and those of us who work[ed at the club] have suffered from this hormonal dwarf who owes Barça his life... ah! But when bad things happen (the pandemic), you receive the legendary message on Whatsapp: 'Presi, drop everyone else's salary, but don't touch mine or Suarez's.' I hope he leaves to indifference, which is the worst thing that could happen to him (another money grabber)."  

“Yes”, Grau agrees. Bartomeu says: "I agree on many things, but Barça come first and this type of article hurts the club's image."

Laporta, criticised

In these conversations, it is speculated that Joan Laporta, still in the electoral campaign at the time, was the possible author of the said leak. Ex-director Oriol Tomàs makes the suggestion. Bartomeu is suspicious of this hypothesis, although everyone seems to agree that it is a way of forcing him to leave and thus "save €120 million."

At a certain point, Bartomeu admits that "many times we have listened to Leo, not always, but many times, and this contract without a pandemic was totally assumable." Bartomeu stresses that Messi represented 15% of the budget and that "it was correct considering everything he generates."