2021 was not an easy year for Barcelona.

For fans and playing staff alike, the summer was an incredibly alarming time as the club lurched from one crisis to the next.

The tempest peaked when superstar Lionel Messi was forced to leave the club with La Liga refusing to register the player until Barcelona got their financial malfeasance under control.

Former manager Ronald Koeman looked as though he had completely lost interest as his managerial reign descended into a regime of shoulder shrugs and testy press conferences.

Results on the field suffered as the league summit ever-presents crashed tumbled down the standings.

The fans then turned on the players, who they believed had refused to take pay cuts to make room for Messi within the salary structure at the club.

One of the players who came under fire initially, was Gerard Pique, but the defender was quick to reveal that he had seen his wages almost halved in comparison to his previous deal.

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Enter Giveaway

If anything, no one had done more among the playing staff to ensure that there was room for Messi in the wage structure, but still there are some who question whether Pique really did take such a massive cut.

Influential Spanish journalist Lluis Canut claimed he gained access to the salaries of La Blaugrana’s biggest names with Pique highlighted as one of the highest-earning players at the club.

The controversial leaks have sparked a lot of debate in Spain, with Pique once again coming under fire.

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However, the Spanish legend moved swiftly to try and quash the rumours before they got out of hand and his method to do so was certainly unique.

Pique went so far as to post a screenshot of the bank transfer he received for half of his wages for the season, and the numbers, while still huge, simply don't match up to Canut's claims.

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Unreal stuff.

That's one way to kill off any rumours about your pay packet.

Pique's unexpected move really has caught the eye of football fans, who soon had the tweet trending on multiple platforms.

Pique will be hoping that his decisive move can finally help him put all the wage nonsense behind him so that he can focus on on-field matters.