The wage being that high in the first place is a problem. But not Messi?s. Club was willing to pay it at the time. The whole wage structure and fees we?ve been paying for all players are outrageous. For example Griezmann is 120m fee + reported 45m a season over 5 years. That?s 345m for Griezmann....
That's the price of being on top of the world from 2006-2011, or 2008-2011.
We bought our own hype.
Fans, media, board and even the players started to believe that everything we did was a pure gold and that all we had to do is to replicate or keep that moment/era, for example:
1. In terms of tactics, we are screwed. For the next 20 years we will go forth and back and chase Pep's ghosts
2. In terms of players, the same. Football world has evolved, yet our fans are falling into a delirium for signings/new kids like fckng Arthur and Riki Puig
3. In terms of a board, they thought that our team from 2011 was the best and all we had to do is to keep those players forever, under huge contracts. They thought that it would pay off, since we all thought that those were the best players who have ever walked on Earth.
Messi, Busi, Xavi, Iniesta, Pique, some of them are still here 10 years later under insane contracts, yet we won only 1 Cl after 2011 even though we had the highest paid team in the world.
So, even in terms of the board, we paid the price of success and hype in 2011, and we are still paying it in 2021.
What happened to us after 2011 is similar to those Disney movies superstars who become too popular, they buy they own hype and turn into junkies and die aged 27.
Barca, our board, our players, our media and even our fans weren't ready for so much glory and success.
Imo, it will take a lot of years until we will be healthy again: mentally, financially and tactically.
Regarding our wages, it is all a domino effect connected with 2011:
1. We were the best in the world
2. The board decided to keep our players no matter what, paying a pure gold
3. Other players from the team also wanted a pay rise
4. All new signings wanted huge wages since all of our players already had enormous wages
5. After 2-3 years, in 2014/2015, when our players signed extensions, they asked for even more money, because: that's how it goes, you get more and more with new extensions
6. In 2017 or 2018, during 2nd extensions, they asked for even more than in 2011 or 2015
= and voila, that's how we turned into a club with more than 1b Euros of short term debt
So, guys, a life lesson: if you'll ever earn big money in your real life, don't implode and die like teen Disney superstars or Fc Barcelona after 2011.