The Barcelona legend closes his rich career. What achievements has Gerard Piqué accomplished?

Gerard Piqué, considered one of the best stoppers in the world in his time, is saying goodbye to professional football. He announced this in an emotional video posted on social media. Recall the career of one of the most loyal players of Barcelona, with whom the world and European champion celebrated many successes.

Born on 2 February 1987 in the Catalan capital, his full name is Gerard Piqué Bernabeu. He was part of the Blaugranas’ youth teams, so he is a graduate of the famous La Masia academy. However, in 2004 he transferred to Manchester United.

During his four years at the English club, he made only twelve starts. In the 2006/2007 season, he was also a guest of the Spanish club Real Zaragoza, where he made a total of 28 appearances.

In the summer of 2008, the almost two-metre tall central defender returned to Barcelona, where he subsequently became one of the important figures of the golden era of the Camp Nou team.

The 2006 European Under-19 champion under new coach Pep Guardiola made his first appearance in the 2008/09 Champions League preliminary round, specifically on 13 August. Barça dominated the match against Wisła Kraków 4-0.

In his inaugural season with the A team, he won the treble, as in addition to triumphing in La Liga and Copa del Rey, the Catalans also managed to win the “Eared Cup”. However, Piqué officially became the Champions League winner during his time with the Red Devils, who had reigned supreme a year earlier.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa brought one of the greatest successes of his career for a stopper with good ball handling and good midfield skills. With his teammates, he won Spain’s first ever World Cup gold.

Since the same year, his relationship with the Colombian singer Shakira has lasted. He even appeared in the music video for her single Waka Waka, which was the official song of the 19th World Cup. This year, however, the star couple announced their breakup. They have two sons together – Milan and Sasha.

In 2011, he captured the Champions League for the second time with Barcelona. Euro 2012 culminated in the Spanish triumph, with Piqué adding the European title to his collection.

For a long time, he played for the national team with Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid, but they have developed a certain rivalry due to their club affiliation.

The 2014/2015 season was marked by another triple success for the Blaugranas. Piqué, along with Messi, Neymar, Suárez, Iniesta and Busquets, celebrated a treble, the second of his career, by winning the domestic league, the cup and the most prestigious club competition.

The footballer with the number 3 on his back holds a total of eight Spanish championship titles – one in the Premier League, seven Copa del Rey triumphs and an English League Cup victory. He has also enjoyed three UEFA Super Cups and three Club World Cups with Barça.

He has scheduled his last game at the Camp Nou for Saturday 5 November, a home game against UD Almería. He hasn’t been given much space by the coach and his former teammate Xavi this season, with other stoppers getting priority. But Piqué says he wants to return to Barcelona one day.

Lately, he has been heavily involved in business. He headed his investment group Kosmos and was behind the change in the format of the tennis Davis Cup in 2018, which was met with a rather strong wave of criticism from sports fans.

Barcelona football fans, however, will associate the long-time mainstay of their team’s defensive line primarily with success on the football stage.

Sources: Transfermarkt, La Liga, FC Barcelona