Gerard Pique is a Barcelone legend, having performed in one of the vital profitable intervals within the membership’s historical past.
The former Spain worldwide performed alongside Camp Nou legends like Lionel Messi, Andre Iniesta and Xavi and received a rare quantity of trophies as a part of a dominant Barça aspect within the 2010s.
However, in November 2022 Pique introduced his departure from his boyhood membership that he briefly left for Manchester United early in his profession earlier than swiftly returning.
Pique did not seem for Barcelona’s senior aspect earlier than shifting to England with Manchester United. He solely made 23 appearances throughout 4 seasons with the Red Devils, spending one season on mortgage at Real Zaragoza in 2006/07.
In 2008 he returned to Camp Nou and was quickly a primary workforce common throughout a wonderful treble-winning season. Pique would begin within the Champions League last in opposition to United alongside Yaya Toure in central defence as targets from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi earned them a 2-0 victory in Rome.
Barça would win 5 of the subsequent seven obtainable La Liga titles, with one other two UCL triumphs coming in 2010/11 and 2014/15.
Pique additionally usually lifted the Copa del Rey trophy, being on the successful aspect seven instances – the latest of which got here in 2020/21.
A serial trophy winner with Barça, Pique additionally loved success on the worldwide stage with Spain.
After making his debut in 2009, the centre again was a part of the Roja squad that received the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Pique performed each single minute as Spain recovered from a gap loss to Switzerland to concede simply as soon as of their remaining video games to win the match.
Spain had been broadly considered the most effective worldwide workforce through the early 2010s, a fame they backed up at Euro 2012 with a dominant displaying. France, Portugal and eventually Italy had been slain as Spain’s all-star lineup received the Henri Delaunay Trophy.
However, the rest of the 2010s had been disappointing for Pique at worldwide stage. Spain had been surprisingly knocked out of the 2014 World Cup on the group stage and at Euro 2016 their title defence was ended by Italy within the final 16.
He retired from Spain responsibility in 2018 after that 12 months’s World Cup, the place they had been knocked by hosts Russia in a penalty shootout. The defender made 102 appearances at worldwide stage, scoring 5 targets.
