Veteran Spanish defender Gerard Pique surprised Barcelona fans and football fans in general on Thursday by announcing his retirement from playing at the age of 35, stressing that he would play the last match on Saturday.
Pique Retirement in the middle of the season, in November, is unusual in football, but if you take into account the reasons that prompted Pique to make this decision, it may seem logical.
The Spanish newspaper “Marca” summarized Pique’s motives for retiring in the following reasons:
His lack of participation in matches
Pique was the fifth choice in Barcelona’s defense this season, after Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen and Conde, and coach Xavi did not rely on him much.
Had it not been for the injuries suffered by all his colleagues in the defense line, Pique would not have participated in some matches this season.
Between the Spanish League and the Champions League, Pique played nine matches, with a total of 555 minutes.
In the few matches he played, Pique suffered, and made many fatal mistakes.
Xavi told him that it was difficult for him to participate in the team’s matches, but the Spanish international defender wanted to try and take up the challenge, but now he realized that he was no longer able to play at the highest level.
The crowd whistles against him
The criticism that Pique was subjected to in the match that Barcelona played against Inter in the group stage of the European Champions League was among the main reasons that prompted him to retire.
During that match, which ended in a 3-3 draw, Pi-que caused his team to receive two goals to lose its chances of qualifying for the round of 16 of the Champions League.
At the time, He was booed and criticized by Barcelona fans and Catalan newspapers.
The central defender did not expect such a big blow and was disappointed with the fans.
Pique’s problems with his ex-wife Shakira
Off the pitch, Pique was linked to the Colombian-Lebanese singer Shakira after they met while filming a video clip for the song “Waka Waka” during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which his country won for the first time. They have two sons and they announced their separation last June.
His recent separation from Shakira greatly affected the level and popularity of him, especially since the Colombian singer accused him of treason, making the headlines of newspapers and magazines for several months.
Furthermore, Pi-que may be affected by the custody battle over his children, as the Colombian singer decided to move to live permanently in the United States, something Pique felt pain as he was no longer able to see his children constantly.
Booming business emperor
In conjunction with his professional football, Pique is engaged in commercial and economic activities, which has recently taken his focus away from the field.
He founded Cosmos to organize the sporting events behind the new Davis Cup tennis suit.
