Former Barcelona president takes credit for team’s current success: ‘We began the renewal’

Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been showing in entrance of the media way over regular in latest weeks, all seemingly in an try to avoid wasting face.

Over the previous few weeks, he has brazenly come out to defend the selections of his board and even declare that the membership can be inside the 1:1 Honest Play rule below his management.

Now, he has gone one step additional and seemingly claimed the credit score for Barcelona’s present success as the person who laid the foundations for a similar.

Bartomeu on Barcelona squad, success

Talking to the media in a latest interview, the previous Barcelona president took credit score for the present crew’s success by claiming that his board was liable for most of the key signings.

“Of the 23 gamers within the present squad, there are 11 who’re gamers inherited from the earlier board.”

Naming Pedri, Ronald Araujo and Lamine Yamal as gamers his board must be credited for, Bartomeu mentioned:

“When their alternative got here they took benefit of it very effectively. Our board was the one that the majority redefined your entire sports activities space,” he added.

He then countered the criticism for the failed transfers of Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and others, all of which had been for large charges.

“On the finish of the day, it’s a lot simpler to have an opinion. The choice is all the time technical,” he mentioned.

“The market was rising enormously,” he added, defending the astronomical switch charges.

He even defended the large salaries and contracts he provided to gamers, each new signings and renewals.

“The membership might afford it. If we had recognized {that a} pandemic was coming, that kind of contract wouldn’t have been made.”

“We started the renewal of the crew,” he added, taking credit score for the crew’s present success.

Lastly, Bartomeu spoke on Lionel Messi’s contract renewal in 2017, saying: “We didn’t need interference from different golf equipment.”

He then commented on the Argentine star’s departure from the membership and the dialog he had with Messi after the identical.

“He was not very completely satisfied. What we talked about, I hold to myself.”

Explaining the situation when Messi needed to go away the membership in 2020 after the humiliation by the hands of Bayern Munich, Bartomeu mentioned,

“It was inconceivable for us to provide him the letter of freedom. [He was] the basic piece of the undertaking [both sportingly and economically].”

Supply: SPORT