Gerard Piqué has painted a bleak picture for Spanish giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in terms of their competitiveness in the European Cup. The multiple CL winner, world and European champion predicted that the two top clubs would soon no longer be able to hold a candle to their opponents.
Piqué explained accordingly Brand: “LaLiga has very strict FFP rules, while other leagues use a different system. In Europe you then come across these clubs that pay more money through other channels. We have taken the path that Barcelona and Real Madrid won’t in five years are more able to compete in Europe.”
In fact, Spain’s upper house has stricter rules for club business than other leagues. Piqué’s long-time club Barça has been feeling this for years: The Blaugrana were in LaLiga partly because of their financial problems and the salary cap unable to register new arrivals.
However, the two flagships of Spanish football are currently still competitive in the Champions League: record winners Real Madrid have played a sparkling clean group phase so far and are now in the round of 16. Los Blancos won the pot for the last time in 2022.
Barcelona, which last won the premier class in 2015, also qualified early for the knockout rounds this week.
This weekend, Real and Barça will be back in action in LaLiga: the league leaders from Madrid will host Granada on Saturday, while the Blaugrana face Atlético Madrid in the top game on Sunday evening.
