Shots fired ahead of upcoming Catalan Derby, as Gerard Pique boasts that he has more money than Espanyol

The Spaniard also called Lionel Messi as one of the 'biggest trolls' he knows.

In conversation with Movistar+ ahead of Barcelona's upcoming derby clash with Espanyol, Gerard Pique stated that he has more money than the Periquitos. He boasted, "I have more money than the budget of Espanyol this year."

He also talked about Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Regarding the Swede, he said that the former Manchester United man loves money more than anything else in the world. When asked about the former Swedish international, the Spaniard said, "He is the guy who loves money more than anyone else on Earth."

"He told us one day 'Money is not the most important thing'. We did not say anything, and then he finished: 'Having a lot of money is the most important thing'", quipped the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner.

After the 2018 World Cup debacle, Pique retired from international football. Other than playing for Barcelona, the defender has turned his attention towards other business ventures too.

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The 2012 UEFA Euro winner also stated that Lionel Messi is the 'biggest trolls' he knows. He quipped, "Messi has very ironic humour, he's one of the biggest trolls [I know]."

Also, he fired shots at Real Madrid. During the show, he was asked about how much sex he had this month. He replied, "Do those times at the Santiago Bernabeu count?"

The defending LaLiga champions have a daunting set of fixtures coming up, including the upcoming Champions League encounters against Manchester United. Heading into the derby against Espanyol, the Lionel Messi-led side are 10 points clear at the top of the table.

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The Catalans also have to face Valencia to win the Copa del Rey crown. This season, the LaLiga giants have impressed their fans and also faced criticism alike. Pique also received some flak during the first-half of the season, but has improved his game now, and has also played a crucial role in his club's recent fine form.

The defender also appeared for Catalonia in their recent friendly win over Venezuela, where he was seen asking Catalonia fans to not jeer the Spanish national team. He has earlier done the same thing to Barca fans for booing Sergio Ramos. He was also the subject of jeers from Spanish football team fans during his latter years with the La Roja.