As per details, the Catalan police in its probe found Ponti as the party responsible, apart from former general director Oscar Grau, for allegedly leaking details of Messi and Gerard Pique's contracts to the media.
Earlier on 12 January, a WhatsApp message from Ponti in a group – containing Bartomeu, Grau and other former board members such as ex-financial director Pancho Schroder and ex-directory of Strategy and Innovation Javier Sobrino – was obtained by the local press.
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According to SPORT, that shared the message published by El Periodico, the WhatsApp group was angry on the source that leaked Messi's contract details published on January 31, 2021 by El Mundo.
Reverting back on the same day, Ponti reportedly fired off on Messi to Bartomeu and told him 'really, you can't be such a good person with this sewer rat'.
"The club has given him everything and he has dedicated himself to marking a dictatorship of signings, transfers, renewals, sponsorships just for him, etc," Forbes quoted Gomez Ponti as saying.
Among others, Ponti even questioned the contract renewals of Luis Suarez, and Jordi Alba. He also questioned a a renewal commission for Ansu Fati that went to his agent at the time in Messi's brother Rodrigo Messi.
"And above all the accumulation of blackmail and rudeness that the club and those of us who work [for it] have suffered from this hormonal dwarf who owes Barca his life... ah!" Ponti continued.
"But when things go wrong (the pandemic) you receive the mythical WhatsApp [message]: 'President, lower the salaries of others, but don't touch Luis [Suarez] and me'," Ponti added.
Ponti did not stop at this. Wishing Messi left the club, he even called him a 'pesetero' or a money-grabber.
Going by the leaked details, Messi was shown as earning a maximum of €555,237,619 ($597mn) over four seasons providing a series of conditions were met. It was the highest-earning sports contract of all time that expired in June 2021.
However, Barca failed to offer Messi a new deal, which ended a 20-year plus relationship with the club and Messi walked to Paris Saint Germain on a free transfer.
