Barcelona want their players to be focused on football rather than on outside ventures.
Gerard Pique is an interesting individual both inside and outside the Barcelona locker room. Aside from being one of the world’s best defenders, he’s also an entrepreneur in his own right.
Unfortunately, it’s that same spirit that has earned him criticism and resulted in the Catalan club introducing new clauses in future contracts to limit outside football activities.
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According to Diario Sport, the so-called “anti-Pique” clauses will apply to new signings and will serve to limit distractions.
Aside from limiting certain outside activities, the clauses state that a player will not be able to use social media before matches.
Again, this comes following Gerard Pique splitting his time between the club and his own personal ventures.
Back in November, Pique was spearheading a project that saw the David Cup come to Madrid.
In between games, he was at Madrid attending press conferences and focusing on other things besides football.
He received criticism for it with some questioning his commitment with the club.
It reached the point to which Ernesto Valverde questioned whether Pique would play the match against Leganes in late November. It led to Valverde saying that he would not play if he seemed distracted.
Other outside endeavors taken by Pique include producing Antoine Griezmann’s decision video a few seasons ago in which the Frenchman decided to stay at Atletico Madrid rather than joining Barcelona.
The club was left feeling a bit embarrassed with some wondering why they weren’t notified by Pique of Griezmann’s decision beforehand.
Regardless, the new clauses should present an interesting caveat to potential signings. More and more, players are becoming their own brand and are presented with opportunities outside of football more often.
The life of a footballer is short and they need a plan once they retire. Depending on how strict Barcelona’s clauses are, it may force some to have a second thought on whether to join them or not.