Gerard Pique recently announced that he’ll retire from football and he’ll play his final La Liga game on Saturday when Barcelona host Almeria at home.
“It has been 25 years since I joined Barca. I left and I came back. Football has given me everything,” said Pique on his social media accounts. “Barcelona has given me everything. You culers have given me everything.”
“And now that this kid’s dreams have come true, I want to tell you that I’ve decided that now is the time to bring this journey to its end,” he added.
Pique’s retirement is inevitable since he looks like a shell of himself. However, this piece of La Liga 2022 news caught everyone by surprise since we’re right in the middle of the 2022-23 season.
There’s no doubt that he’ll be remembered fondly by die-hard fans in Catalonia. So without further ado, allow SBOTOP to pay homage to the Barca icon as we chronicle his football journey.
Pique got his big break at Barcelona
Gerard Pique came through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy before signing with Manchester United in 2004.
He made his full debut in January 2005 during the FA Cup against Exeter City, and his Premier League debut took place in October that year when he was subbed in during a 3-1 victory over Sunderland.
But Pique never really cracked into the starting XI since they had Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic as their first choice centre-backs. He was loaned out for one season at Real Zaragoza in 2006-07, although he returned to Old Trafford and even scored goals against Dynamo Kyiv and AS Roma in the Champions League.
Despite having a year left on his contract with Manchester United, Pique returned to his boyhood club Barcelona via a four-year deal, which was the best thing that’s ever happened to his career.
He was a vital part of those famous tiki-taka Barcelona teams that were led by the likes of his current coach Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Lionel Messi – who also left Catalonia last season.
The La Masia product was a commanding presence in the box given his physical profile and he can play as a defencive midfielder from time to time because of his good passing skills. His former centre-back partner Carles Puyol even described him once as “the best centre-back in the world”.
Pique won a lot of awards in Barca – including eight La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey’s, and three Champions League trophies. All in all, he played 615 games for the Catalan giants – 396 in La Liga and 126 in the Champions League.
He was also a mainstay in Spain’s national team with 102 caps, winning the World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2012.
He sacrificed more than he should at Camp Nou
When Barcelona’s financial problems came to a head during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gerard Pique gave up a lot to keep his boyhood club afloat.
Pique was on the third year of his five-year deal that he signed back in December 2017. At the time, he was costing the club around €30-40M in annual wages and taxes, so he and other senior players did the noble gesture of deferring their salaries to aid the team’s finances.
Those sacrifices surely helped the Blaugrana since they were able to bring in players this summer to boost their La Liga 2022 odds, such as Robert Lewandowski, Franck Kessie, Jules Kounde, Marcos Alonso, and Andreas Christensen.
But while Barca were excited with their new acquisitions, many believe that Pique didn’t get the respect he deserves since he fell down Xavi’s pecking order – although it was more because of the fact that he’s on a decline.
Pique is leaving in his own terms
It became clear that Gerard Pique’s services were no longer needed at Barca, so he felt that now’s the right time to step away. In fact, during the summer, Pique has been told that the club was planning to offload him but he stayed since there were no suitors.
In his heartfelt retirement video, he ended with an “I’ll be back” statement as he was glancing at the directors’ box at Camp Nou – hinting that he may return to the team in a different capacity.
Gerard Pique has been rumoured to be interested in running to become Barcelona’s president, and La Liga boss Javier Tebas believes that he can be a great president if it happens.
With his unwavering loyalty to Barcelona, Pique might get a shot at the club’s presidency someday and it’ll be a full circle moment.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
