Barca pay off debt

After nearly 5 years of struggling with the financial crisis, Barca officially closed the chapter of salary arrears that lasted from the Bartomeu era when they paid 16 million euros to Messi, Koeman, Umtiti and a series of veterans who had shouldered the team during its most difficult period.

Barcelona have paid off their debt to Lionel Messi.

After nearly 5 years of struggling in a severe financial crisis, FC Barcelona finally closed a dark chapter in its history. They finished paying all the deferred salaries of the stars who played for the club in the 2020 season.

A seemingly small act but of great significance - not only was the pledge of honour fulfilled, but also the final cleansing of a dynasty that had brought Barcelona to the brink of bankruptcy.

Messi, the burden bearer and also the biggest creditor

The final payment of €16 million, due at the end of June 2025, marks the end of a deal to defer wages amounting to €121.7 million - including nearly 43% of the fixed salaries and all variable bonuses of a number of first-team stars. Since December 2021, Barca have paid in eight installments. And now the heavy door of Bartomeu's tenure has officially closed.

It is not surprising that Lionel Messi is the one who is owed the most. The living legend of Camp Nou once agreed to defer 47.6 million euros in salary in the context of the club being like a "sinking ship".

The remainder, €5.96m, was transferred to him in the final payment. According to sources close to the matter, Messi and his agent confirmed that Barca had fulfilled all obligations - a move that could open the way for a future reunion, in whatever form.

But the name that surprised many people was Samuel Umtiti - the second person on the list of creditors, with 9.9 million euros delayed, starting from a fixed salary of up to 23.1 million euros. Meanwhile, veterans such as Sergio Busquets (22 million), Griezmann (18), Jordi Alba (17.6) or Coutinho (15.9) are also on the list of late debt collection.

Messi once accepted Barcelona's salary debt.

The point is: not all of them deserve the treatment they received. Some leave great legacies; others, like Umtiti or Coutinho, are relics of a period of uncontrolled spending - where Barca paid like a rich team but got results like a mid-table team.

Among those whose salaries have been delayed is Ronald Koeman, the coach who was fired midway through the 2021 season amid a deep crisis in form and internal affairs. He was owed nearly 6 million euros, and has now been paid in full.

Notably, Koeman and President Joan Laporta have just publicly reconciled after more than two years of tension - as a symbolic gesture to end the period of confrontation.

Three other members of Koeman's coaching staff, Henrik Larsson, Alfred Schreuder and Albert Roca, also received salaries of less than 1 million euros - small numbers but encapsulating an era of failure.

From debt to revival

The bigger picture is more than just the numbers. It’s a reminder of a time when Barca were on the brink – when the club had to call on Carles Tusquets, an interim board, and were hoping for a revival after the election of Joan Laporta in March 2021.

President Joan Laporta has ended Barcelona's dark period.

We also cannot forget the role of young players like Pedri, Ansu Fati, Araujo, or even quiet faces like Neto, Braithwaite, Junior Firpo... All of them accept to sacrifice their income to maintain the drying bloodline at Camp Nou.

And don't forget the names in Barca B like Iñaki Peña, Oriol Busquets, Konrad de la Fuente..., who, even though they are just reserves, still shoulder part of the financial responsibility.

The final debt settlement was more than just a closing of the books. It was a declaration: Barca had learned their lesson.

The blind extravagance of the past cannot be repeated. The new generation under Laporta – with Hansi Flick who understands the club’s DNA, and a tightening financial model – will have to tread more carefully and responsibly.

Barcelona are no longer the club that breaks the transfer record. But that may be a good thing. After all, the most valuable thing they have just demonstrated is their ability to keep their word - even at the cost of years of struggle.

And in the modern world of football, sometimes keeping your word is harder than keeping the ball.

Source: https://znews.vn/barca-dut-no-post1564473.html