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Jordi Blanco, Corresponsal en Barcelona
Gerard Piqué’s Last Game with Barça: An Unexpected Retirement Announcement
BARCELONA — On November 5, 2022, Gerard Piqué played his last professional match with Barcelona. Surprising everyone, two days prior to the game, he announced his retirement through an emotional video on his social media, fulfilling the promise he had made months earlier.
“When I realize that I am no longer as important as I used to be, I will leave… What I won’t accept is retiring as a substitute. If it’s the last three months of a season and I have to be on the bench, okay. But an entire year sitting there? No, I don’t want that,” he proclaimed in October 2021. And at the beginning of November 2022, having only started in 5 out of the 18 matches played by Xavi Hernández’s team, he had enough.
A year has passed since the departure of the defender who played the most matches (616) for Barça, ranking fifth on the list behind Leo Messi, Xavi Hernández, Sergio Busquets, and Andres Iniesta, his teammates in what was acclaimed as the greatest team in history, of which he was an exceptional protagonist both on and off the field.
Piqué became the number one enemy of the Madridista universe, as he never shied away from engaging in all sorts of controversies with the eternal rival of the Blaugrana club. He was also in the spotlight for political matters, whether it was as a player for the Spanish national team or in relation to the serious incidents that shook Catalonia in October 2017.
Always in the spotlight, his separation from Shakira opened up a new front, which added to the scandal of the Spanish Super Cup that he negotiated through his company with the federation president, Luis Rubiales.
All of this tainted and overshadowed his final active years, also being criticized for agreeing to an out-of-market contract renewal with former president Bartomeu as his performances began to decline at Barça, until the arrival of Xavi Hernández as the manager accelerated his downfall.
He managed to barely hold onto his starting position until the end of the 2021-22 season (he only appeared in the starting lineup in two out of the last ten matches due to an injury) and during the summer of 2022, rumors grew about his falling out of favor with his coach… which was confirmed over the following weeks, as he became a regular on the bench and less frequent on the field.
Surrounded by controversies, from the organization of the Davis Cup through his company Kosmos to the termination of the contract, football was no longer the center of attention for Piqué, whose physique was no longer what it used to be.
And suddenly, he decided to say goodbye. He did so in grand style, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the history of Barça, with a collection of titles under his belt and seen as a significant character in the future of the club.
For now, Gerard remains focused on the organization and success of the Kings League, keeping a distance from football news and Barcelona. However, there is no doubt that in the medium or long term, the player who many consider to be the greatest center-back in the history of the club will reappear. Pointing towards the executive box at the new Spotify Camp Nou.
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