Gerard Pique is a former Spain international football player who spent most of his club career with Spanish and European giants FC Barcelona.
He played as a central defender and was rated as one of the best centre-backs in the world. He was also known for being musician Shakira’s husband.
Club Career
Pique started his footballing career at Barcelona and played for the youth team between 1997 and 2004 before joining Manchester United. He played for the Red Devils for four years, although he played on loan for Real Zaragoza during the 2006-07 campaign.
Pique won the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League with United in 2007-08 and was signed by Barcelona in the summer of 2008 for a transfer fee of a £5 million.
He soon established himself as a regular centre-back for the Blaugrana and made 397 La Liga appearances for the club, winning the title in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2022–23 along with the Champions League in 2008-09, 2010-11 and 2014-15.
Pique was named La Liga’s Best Defender in 2009-10 as well as the league’s Team of the Season twice, in 2014-15 and 2015-16. He retired from Barca mid-season in the 2022-23 campaign having fallen out of favour.
International Career
Pique made his international debut for Spain against England on February 11, 2009 in a 2-0 win for his side. He played 102 times for his country, winning the 2010 World Cup finals and Euro 2012.
