Samuel Umtiti went to the dressing room and did not take part in Barcelona's Joan Gamper Trophy celebrations after furious fans booed him before and during the match.
Barcelona clashed with Juventus at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on Sunday only hours after Lionel Messi's emotional farewell press conference.
Messi agreed to a whopping 50 per cent wage cut as part of a new Barcelona deal, but the Spanish club were unable to push the contract through due to La Liga's financial rules.
Advert
The 34-year-old Argentine superstar, who is expected to sign for Paris Saint-Germain this summer, would have been unable to play for Barcelona for free due to Spanish law.
According to Goal, Barcelona offered to release Umtiti and Miralem Pjanic from their respective deals in a desperate bid to reduce their wage bill.
The Independent reports that Barcelona's wage percentage needs to be at 70 per cent, but it currently stands at 95 per cent even without Messi signing a new contract.
Umtiti, who was reportedly linked with Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham this summer, wanted to stay at Barcelona for the new La Liga season.
Advert
However, the 27-year-old French centre-back didn't receive a positive reception from Barcelona fans in his side's 3-0 win over Juventus.
Umtiti was 'whistled' at during the Barcelona presentation, but he also met the same reception when he came off the bench in the second half to replace Ronald Araujo.
Advert
La Sexta reporter Josep Gomez claimed that fans' reaction to the Barcelona defender 'did not sit well with him' and he went to the dressing room without waiting for the Gamper Trophy presentation.
Umtiti, who was signed from Lyon in 2016, later broke his silence by posting a message on his Instagram Stories.
The 2018 World Cup winner wrote: "Sometimes, it's better to say nothing and let the silence take care of things."
Antoine Griezmann also took to Instagram to show his solidarity of support for his Barcelona and France teammate.
Advert
Goals from Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Riqui Puig sealed the win for Ronald Koeman's men against Juventus.
Featured Image Credit: TwitterTopics: Football, Barcelona, Samuel Umtiti, Lionel Messi, Juventus, Spain, La Liga