Quique Setién Hits Out At Barcelona: “It Took Them Four Years To Pay Me”
Four years after his departure, the story was still not closed. A former Barcelona coach decided to speak… and revealed much more.
A debt that took years to resolve
Quique Setién’s spell at FC Barcelona ended in August 2020, but the financial chapter closed much later. The Cantabrian coach revealed that the Catalan club took three to four years to fully pay the salary owed to him following his dismissal.
Speaking on El Larguero on Cadena SER, Setién explained that while the process was long and complicated, the situation has now been resolved. The coach acknowledged that the club fulfilled all outstanding payments and stated that, as of today, Barcelona owe him nothing.
A reflection of Barcelona’s financial crisis
The delayed payment was not an isolated case, but rather a reflection of the delicate financial situation Barcelona were going through at the time. After his dismissal, Setién took legal action to recover what he was owed, joining a long list of creditors that highlighted the club’s liquidity problems.
Even so, the former coach made it clear that he holds no resentment over this specific issue. For him, the matter is closed, although his testimony once again brings to light one of the most turbulent periods in the club’s recent history.
A cycle marked by sporting chaos
Setién’s time on the Camp Nou bench was brief and turbulent. He arrived in January 2020 to replace Ernesto Valverde, tasked with restoring the club’s “Barça DNA,” only to inherit a worn-out dressing room and a structure in visible decline.
He managed 25 matches, recording 16 wins, four draws and five defeats, and finished second in LaLiga after the pandemic break. However, his tenure is forever defined by the historic 8–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals in Lisbon, a blow that accelerated his departure.
Injuries also shaped his spell. Luis Suárez underwent knee surgery before Setién arrived, while Ousmane Dembélé suffered a serious muscle injury, forcing the club into an emergency signing of Martin Braithwaite.
A new legal dispute in LaLiga
Far from closing all chapters, Setién revealed that he is involved in another legal battle, this time with Villarreal. The coach claimed that the Yellow Submarine have yet to pay him what he is contractually owed following his dismissal in 2023.
“I’ve been waiting for almost three years,” he said, explaining that the case remains in court and that there is still no ruling. Setién admitted his surprise at experiencing such situations with established LaLiga clubs, making it clear that his coaching career has also involved battles off the pitch.
