The World Cup-winning defender's controversial comments about Catalan rivals were intended as a joke, says his manager at Camp Nou
Ernesto Valverde has defended Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique after he made headlines with comments about Espanyol ahead of the derby.
Ahead of Saturday's meeting at Camp Nou, Pique told Movistar+ show 'La Resistencia': "I have more money than the budget of Espanyol this year. Nope, not just €57 million, it's plenty more than that."
Pique has a history of winding up Espanyol when Barca face their Catalan rivals but Valverde brushed off the defender's latest comments.