Pique makes final bow

GERARD Pique leaves Barcelona as a club icon whose time was laden with silverware and glorious memories, along with controversy and, inevitably, decline.

The 35-year-old defender cut his contract short, with a year-and-a-half yet to run, announcing his impending retirement on Thursday.

Pique will feature for the last time at Camp Nou against Almeria today, and is expected to travel for the game against Osasuna on Tuesday.

While his manager, Xavi Hernandez, left the club in a blaze of glory after winning the treble alongside Pique in 2015, the centre-back departs mid-season, following a humiliating Champions League elimination.

Out of favour, when Pique has played his performances have come under scrutiny, and his sudden decision has been made to wrest control of the situation, preserving his dignity, before his reputation can degrade.

Despite glorious years in his prime, making a case for being the club’s best ever defender, winning three Champions Leagues, eight La Liga titles and seven Copas del Rey with Barca, recent seasons have seen him and the other veterans linked with repeated failures in Europe.

Most recently, a glaring Pique error against Inter Milan cost the team a goal, with Barcelona drawing and virtually sealing their Champions League exit.

Supporters showed their anger with whistles when he came on against Villarreal and against Valencia he was mocked for not being ready to replace the injured Jules Kounde.

“For months they have talked about me and until now I haven’t said anything, but now I want to be the one to talk to you about myself,” Pique said, taking charge.

Pique has never been shy of doing the talking, from wars of words with eternal rivals Real Madrid, neighbours Espanyol, and anyone else who got in his or Barcelona’s way, including

Spanish media and even the club’s board. Media-savvy and a businessman with his fingers in many pies, including his own production company Kosmos, and revamping tennis’ Davis Cup, Pique will be aware of the message he is sending by cutting short his fat contract, which was a problem for Barcelona.

“We are working on the resolution of his deal but there is a great disposition on the part of the player to help the club,” said president Joan Laporta.

The noise around Pique through his career helped grow his profile – as did his former partner, Colombian pop-star Shakira – but sometimes spoke louder than his quality as a defender.

Playing at Barcelona is particularly hard for centre-backs, with his coaches including Pep Guardiola, utilising high defensive lines. It meant Pique’s reading of the game had to be immaculate, starting attacks from the back.

Often he ended them too, with 52 goals in 615 appearances for the club.

Pique joined Barcelona at 10 years old but signed for Manchester United and made his professional debut there in 2004, winning a Champions League and Premier League double in 2008.

Guardiola gave him his Barcelona breakthrough after he returned that year, and the Catalans won the treble in the 2008-09 season.

Spain, using many Barcelona players, including Pique, won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 Euros.

Despite good performances last season, this campaign has been painful. Off the pitch his partnership with Shakira collapsed, and on it, he was off the pace. Xavi brought in Kounde and Andreas Christensen in the summer and Pique dropped out of favour.

Perhaps not for long though. In his goodbye video Pique looked up at the presidential box and said: “Sooner or later, I’ll be back.” | AFP