“A nasty opponent, exemplary athlete, champion and football legend. Thank you, Gerard Pique,” Thomas Muller praised Pique after learning that the 1987 midfielder had decided to retire.
In addition to Muller, Sergio Ramos also said: “Enjoy life, my friend”.
“An outstanding player with an admirable career. I believe he will return to Barcelona in the future,” said former player Javier Mascherano.
Muller and Pique have faced each other many times in the Champions League.
Pique will have the last match of his career against Almeria, before officially π©π’π―π¨πͺπ―π¨ up his boots. During the press conference before the match against Almeria, many reporters questioned coach Xavi Hernandez about Pique’s ability to start. The Barca captain replied briefly: “Everyone will know tomorrow.”
Pique is a product of La Masia furnace and has played for several seasons for Man United. He is a member of the “Red Devils” who won the Premier League and Champions League in the 2007/08 season. In the summer of 2008, Pique decided to return to Barca because he could not compete with the Vidic – Ferdinand pair.
At Camp Nou, the Spaniard became a good partner with Carles Puyol. Pique owns a huge collection of titles. He won 3 Champions League titles, 8 La Liga titles, 7 Copa del Rey, 6 Spanish Super Cups, 3 European Super Cups and 3 FIFA Club World Cups. At the international level, Pique helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
After the peak years, Pique gradually lost his place in the Barca squad. In the appearances this season, the player born in 1987 all made mistakes, notably leaving the ball, causing the home team to lose to Inter in the Champions League group stage.
Pique’s career in shorts has gone downhill, and Pique also has many problems with her private life. In June, he and Shakira announced their separation after 12 years of dating. The couple then had many disagreements over the process of settling child custody.
Before his uncertain future, the former Arsenal player has made a suggestion for Barcelona.
Hector Bellerin joined La Masia at the age of eight. He left to join Arsenal at the age of 16, just as Cesc Fabregas had done a few years earlier. Bellerin had never worn a Barca first team shirt before this season.
The 27-year-old player ended his contract with Arsenal and moved to Barca in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer. However, the Spanish star only signed a short-term contract of 1 year with the Catalan representative.
Bellerin wants to extend his contract with Barca.
In the summer of 2023, Bellerin’s contract will expire and if Barca does not renew it, the former Real Betis defender will once again become a free agent. Therefore, the old Arsenal man had a suggestion for Barca. Sharing on Catalunya Radio, Bellerin expressed: “I want to sign a new contract because I want to stay at Barca. I’m very happy. Every project takes time to develop, that’s normal in football. We trust Xavi 100%.” Bellerin has not been a mainstay at Barca until now. He has only played 5 matches in all competitions. Defender born in 1995 once suffered a minor πͺπ―π«πΆπ³πΊ, but when he was fit again, he only played 20 minutes in the last 4 La Liga matches. In the last match in La Liga, Bellerin was not even on the registration list.
Bellerin’s performance was not good, so it was difficult to convince Barca to make the next commitment.