Gerard Pique has announced his retirement from professional football after a career where he’s won a staggering 29 major honours since swapping Manchester United for Barcelona in 2008.
“It is the moment to end this stage of my life. I always said that after Barcelona there will be no other club, and that is the way it is going to be,” Pique said on social media.
“I will become a regular fan,” the World Cup winner continued. “I will support the team. I will pass my love for Barça to my children, like my family did with me. And you know me, sooner or later, I will be back.”
Pique has been relentless in his pursuit of greatness, picking up La Liga titles, Champions League crowns and domestic cups along the way to becoming a legend in Catalonia.
The 35-year-old is now the most decorated defender in Barca’s history, but his journey to achieving that status was not plain sailing. In fact, it took some harsh lessons at United to mould Pique into the man he is today.
Tough beginnings – 2007
Pique began his Old Trafford career at the age of 17, appearing in a League Cup tie against Crewe Alexandra in October 2004. That season, he also appeared once in both the Champions League and FA Cup.
Seven first-team outings and a Premier League debut followed in the 2005-06 season before Pique went on loan to Real Zaragoza for the 2006-07 campaign. It was when he arrived back in England that his fortunes – so bright for such a young player – began to turn.
Speaking to The Players’ Tribune, Pique recalled the game which saw his chances of making it at United fade: “In 2007, after two years in England, [Sir Alex Ferguson] told me that I was going to play about 25 games that season.
“Everything started well. I was getting to play a bit alongside Rio [Ferdinand]. And then, in November, we went to play in Bolton.
“Sh*t…I can still picture the ball floating in the air. It was a set-piece. I was supposed to be marking Nicolas Anelka. Bolton chipped the ball into the box, and I thought, ‘I’m going to be aggressive.’
“I jumped up to head the ball away, and I completely missed it. It was like something out of a nightmare.
“The ball just…kept floating. It was that yellow and purple Premier League ball. Remember that one? It floated right over my head like a balloon.
“I landed and turned around in horror. Anelka controlled the ball and scored easily. We ended up losing 1-0, and it was my fault.”
Pique himself pinpoints that defeat…
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