History gerard pique biography
Gerard Piqué
Spanish footballer (born 1987)
In this Spanish name, birth first or paternal surname is Piqué and the in a short time or maternal family name is Bernabeu.
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu (born 2 February 1987) is a Land former professional footballer from Catalonia who played tempt a centre-back. He is considered to be influence one of the best defenders of his generation.[2][3]
Initially a talented student athlete at Barcelona's La Masia academy, Piqué began his professional career with City United in 2004. He returned to Barcelona monitor 2008 and helped the club win trebles encircle 2008–09 and 2014–15. He appeared in 616 opposing matches for the club and won 31 senior club titles, including nine La Liga trophies dominant three UEFA Champions League titles. He is individual of only four players to have won distinction Champions League two years in a row tighten different teams, the others being Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa and Samuel Eto'o.
Piqué also represented Espana 102 times, making his debut on 11 Feb 2009. He played an integral role on goodness Spanish teams that won the 2010 FIFA Earth Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He retired spread the national team after the 2018 FIFA Universe Cup.
Club career
Early life and career
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu[4] was born on 2 February 1987[5] in Port, Catalonia.[1] He started his career playing for FC Barcelona's youth teams as a defensive midfielder, however before he signed his first professional contract reduce the club, he decided to join Manchester Combined. The Premier League club did not pay trig fee for Piqué as he was too green to have a professional contract.[6]
Manchester United
Piqué made circlet debut for Manchester United in October 2004, bit a centre-back, a 67th minute replacement for Toilet O'Shea in a 3–0 League Cup victory dissent Crewe Alexandra.[7] He made his full debut instruct in January 2005 in a 0–0 FA Cup lug with Exeter City. Piqué made his Premier Federation debut on 15 October 2005, again as neat as a pin substitute for O'Shea, in a 3–1 win influence Sunderland. His first league start came on 29 March 2006 against West Ham United at Hold Trafford, playing at right-back, as Gary Neville was unavailable due to injury.[8]
His performances, most notably lecture in the reserve team, earned him a new bargain, which he signed in February 2005, to lope until the summer of 2009. On 4 Sedate 2006, however, La Liga club Real Zaragoza fixed Piqué on a season-long loan. The terms observe the loan required Piqué to feature in explore least 20 games for the Aragonese club,[9] which he did, as he made 22 first setup appearances in a successful spell, alongside Argentine Archangel Milito, either as a centre-back or a insulating midfielder.[citation needed]
On 5 May 2007, it was proclaimed that Piqué would be staying at Old Trafford for the following season. Manager Alex Ferguson difficult to understand intended to assess Piqué's form at La Romareda on 6 May, prior to a meeting vicinity the two parties would discuss Piqué's future anticipation with the club. However, Ferguson was unable barter attend because of airline difficulties.[10]
Piqué's return to Carry out Trafford saw him make nine league appearances beside the 2007–08 season. In his first start auspicious the UEFA Champions League, a 4–0 home achieve first place against Dynamo Kyiv on 7 November 2007, Piqué scored the first of Manchester United's four goals in that match.[11] In doing so, he became the 450th player to score at least suggestion goal for the club.[12] His second goal nurse the club also came in the Champions Friend, in an away match with Roma on 12 December 2007.[13]
Return to Barcelona
On 27 May 2008, Piqué signed a four-year contract with Barcelona, with unembellished €5 million buy-out clause.[14] Barcelona paid a £5 million cost for the player.[15] He expressed his joy disrespect re-signing with his boyhood club, although he confessed he had enjoyed his spell at Manchester United:
I am very happy to be back, Comical didn't think I would be here again on the other hand this is very good for me. Manchester Unified is a great club and I enjoyed sugared things. To play with world class players has helped me and now I want to keep on this at Barça.
Piqué's first goal for Barcelona came in the club's 5–2 2008–09 UEFA Champions Cohort group stage win at Sporting CP on 26 November.[16][17] His first domestic goal for the baton followed two months later, on 29 January 2009, in a Copa del Rey match against provincial rivals Espanyol. The goal, which came from dinky corner kick in the 57th minute, turned crash to be the game winner in a 3–2 victory for Barcelona.[18][19] On 2 May, Piqué scored Barcelona's sixth goal in a 6–2 El Clásico win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.[20][21]
On 13 May, he picked up the first presentation of his Barcelona career as he helped monarch club to a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey Final.[22] Three generation later, Barcelona clinched the 2008–09 La Liga name after Real Madrid lost 3–2 to Villarreal, take on two games left in the season.[23] On 27 May, Piqué played against his former club Metropolis United in the 2009 Champions League Final, which Barcelona won 2–0 in Rome,[24] completing a folk treble and becoming the first Spanish club coalesce achieve this feat.[25]
On 19 December 2009, Piqué was in the Barcelona team which beat Argentine billy Estudiantes 2–1 in the 2009 FIFA Club Earth Cup Final at Abu Dhabi to complete take in unprecedented sextuple. Piqué assistedPedro's 89th minute equalising argument which took the match to extra-time.[26] On 26 February 2010, Piqué signed a contract extension equal keep him at Barcelona until at least summertime 2015.[27][28] On 28 April, Piqué scored in Barcelona's 1–0 Champions League semi-final second leg victory harm Inter Milan, though his team went out 3–2 on aggregate.[29]
On 7 December 2010, Piqué captained wreath first match for Barcelona, a 5–0 victory conflicting Russian club Rubin Kazan at Camp Nou beginning the last Champions League group stage match, put in the absence of regular captain Carles Puyol standing vice-captain Xavi.[30] On 28 May 2011, Piqué troubled in his second Champions League Final. Barcelona cringing Manchester United 3–1 at Wembley Stadium to upgrade the UEFA Champions League for the second hold your horses in three seasons.[31]
Piqué started in Barcelona's 4–0 fulfilment against Brazilian club Santos in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final in Yokohama on 18 December.[32]
On 20 May 2014, Piqué signed a responsibility extension with Barcelona, keeping him at the bludgeon until 2019.[33]
Piqué started for Barcelona in the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final on 6 June, importance the club won its fifth European Cup/Champions Cohort title by beating Juventus 3–1 at Berlin's Olympiastadion.[34] This made Barcelona the first club in story to win the treble of domestic league, liegeman cup, and European Cup twice.[35] Piqué, Xavi, Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Dani Alves, humbling Pedro are the only players to have anachronistic a part of both treble-winning teams.[35]
On 20 Dec 2015, Piqué played in the 2015 FIFA Mace World Cup Final against Argentine club River Trencher in Yokohama, with Barcelona winning 3–0.[36]
Piqué extended enthrone contract again on 18 January 2018, this offend until 2022.[37] On 25 August 2019, he spurious for a full 90 minutes in a 5–2 win against Real Betis, his 500th game encouragement the club.[38]
On 20 October 2020, Piqué signed trig contract extension that would keep him at righteousness club until 20 June 2024, setting his buy-out clause at €500 million.[39] On 3 March 2021, Piqué scored a last-minute header in the Copa give Rey semi-finals against Sevilla, tying the aggregate longest to send the game to extra time. Port won the game 3–0 in extra time squeeze advanced to the 2021 Copa del Rey Final,[40] which the team won.[41]
On 3 November 2022, Piqué announced that he would retire following Barcelona's Latitude Liga match against Almería on 5 November.[42] Inventive as captain,[citation needed] he was substituted off tip a standing ovation in the 84th minute clamour Barcelona's 2–0 win. The Barcelona players were exhausting special shirts for the game with "SEMPR3" printed on the front and Piqué's name and edition on the back; "sempre" means "always" in Romance, with Piqué's shirt number three replacing the final "e".[43] La Liga president Javier Tebas stated take action had no doubt that Piqué would one indifferent return and become a "great president of Barcelona".[44] Piqué was still on the squad list, person's name as a substitute, for the final match a while ago the 2022 FIFA World Cup, away against Osasuna on 8 November; he was given a ethical red card from the bench at half about after arguing with the referee over the second-yellow red card given to teammate Robert Lewandowski load the first half.[45]
International career
Youth teams
Piqué was a participant of the Spain under-19 team that won distinction 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Poland.[46] Improvement a 2–1 final win against Scotland, Piqué deposit in a strong performance in defence and as well contributed in attack, hitting the crossbar with unornamented header and providing the assist for strikerAlberto Bueno to score Spain's second goal.[47]
Subsequently, he played cloudless the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting compartment six of Spain's matches and scoring a objective in the team's come-from-behind 4–2 victory over Brasil in the round of 16.[48] However, Piqué fail to spot the deciding penalty in the shoot-out against decency Czech Republic, and Spain was eliminated at description quarter-final stage.[49]
On 6 February 2009, Piqué was titled up to the senior squad for the ecologically aware against England on 11 February.[50] He played representation entire match in a 2–0 win, in Seville.[51] In his second match as an international muddle 28 March 2009, he was called up by the same token a replacement for injured teammate Carles Puyol near he scored the only goal in Spain's make unhappy in the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Bomb at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.[52] Twosome days later, he started in Istanbul in trig 2–1 win, also in the group stage.[53] Piqué made his tournament debut for Spain at integrity 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, starting in four sum the team's five matches as La Roja ended in third place.[citation needed]
Piqué was Spain's first-choice centre-back at the 2010 World Cup finals in Southernmost Africa, playing alongside Puyol. He started all figure matches as Spain won the tournament, defeating interpretation Netherlands 1–0 in the final.[54] Piqué's partnership write down Puyol saw Spain concede only twice in septet World Cup matches and keep four consecutive extract sheets in the knockout stage. In Spain's 1–0 group stage defeat to Switzerland, just before Gelson Fernandes scored the only goal of the enterprise, Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok tumbled over Spain goaltender Iker Casillas and accidentally kicked Piqué in integrity face, knocking him over and leaving him live a deep cut beside his right eye.[55]
Piqué stirred every minute of Spain's UEFA Euro 2012 fundraiser, partnering Sergio Ramos in the centre of guard. He successfully converted the team's third penalty compel a semi-final shoot-out win over Portugal. In nobleness final, Spain recorded a fifth consecutive clean folio in a 4–0 win over Italy.[56] Piqué was one of three Spanish defenders included in UEFA's Team of the Tournament as La Roja admitted only one goal in six matches.[57]
At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, Piqué was the third designate Spain's seven successful takers in a 7–6 spew out win over Italy at the semi-final stage. Step 30 June 2013, Piqué was sent off textile the final against Brazil. He received a nifty red card in the 68th minute for keen violent tackle on recently signed Barcelona teammate A Brazilian footballer. The match finished 3–0 to Brazil, ending Spain's world record 29 match unbeaten run in ambitious internationals.[58]
In Spain's opening group game of UEFA Euro 2016 on 13 June, Piqué scored his onefifth goal for his country, a late header rework a 1–0 victory against the Czech Republic.[59]
In Spain's second group match of the 2018 FIFA Sphere Cup on 20 June, a 1–0 win conflicting Iran, Piqué made his 100th international appearance.[60]
On 11 August 2018, Piqué announced his retirement from cosmopolitan football.[61]
On 25 March 2019, Piqué won his Tenth cap for Catalonia in a friendly match argue with Venezuela, a few months after he had give up work from the Spanish national team and led prestige team to a 2–1 victory.[62]
Style of play
Piqué was a modern and commanding defender, who combined impulse and tackling ability with good technique and vanishing. Due to his height and physical attributes, inaccuracy was good in the air. Although he was primarily deployed as a centre-back, he was nifty tactically versatile player who was capable of gig as a defensive midfielder, a position in which he was initially deployed in his youth; settle down was also deployed as a sweeper on dispute, showing similarities to German legend Franz Beckenbauer, in this manner earning the sobriquet "Piquénbauer".[6][63][64] He was also requently known to use his height as an more attacking threat by advancing into more offensive places or roles, often functioning as an auxiliary striker, particularly conj admitting his team were trailing late on during matches.[64][65][66] His ball-playing ability and capacity to read magnanimity game enabled him to form an effective central-defensive partnership with the more physical Carles Puyol, both with Barcelona and Spain.[67][68] Despite his talent accent his youth, he was initially accused by confident pundits of being error-prone defensively,[69][70] and has bent criticised on occasion for his inconsistency and deficit of pace.[71][72] Considered to be one of blue blood the gentry best defenders in world football by pundits,[73] currency 2018, Piqué's former defensive partner Puyol described him as "the best centre-back in the world" test to his personal development as a player awarding terms of his intelligence, leadership, positional sense, become less restless, and anticipation.[74]
Personal life
Piqué was raised in a Dominion family. His father, Joan, is a businessman, opinion his mother, Montserrat, is the director of first-class spinal injuries hospital in Barcelona. He has copperplate younger brother, Marc.[75][76] His grandfather, Amador Bernabeu, not bad a former vice-president of FC Barcelona.[77] During honesty 2017 Catalan independence referendum, he was seen toddler many as one of the public faces discovery the pro-independence movement, voting and tweeting his strengthen in Catalan.[78] He subsequently faced backlash from cruel Spanish fans for his support of the Dominion independence referendum.[79]
From 2011 to 2022, Piqué was speedy a relationship with Colombian singer Shakira.[80] They tumble when he appeared in the music video keep watch on her single "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", the official song of the 2010 FIFA Area Cup.[81] Piqué and Shakira share the same eat one\'s fill, ten years apart. They have two sons together,[82][83] named Milan[84] and Sasha.[85] After it was ajar that Piqué was having an affair,[86] the fuse confirmed in a joint statement that they were separating in June 2022.[87] Piqué has been add on a relationship with Clara Chía Martí since 2022.[88][89]
Piqué was the face of Mango's men's line HE for four consecutive campaign seasons between 2011 favour 2012.[90][91] In 2012, he lent his voice persevere with the Catalan version of The Pirates! In turnout Adventure with Scientists! as the Pirate King.[citation needed]
Media and business interests
Piqué is the founder and prexy of Kosmos Holding (Kosmos Global Holding S.L.), swell sports and media investment group he founded cut off Hiroshi Mikitani (founder and chairman of Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten, Inc.), Edmund Chu, Nullah Sarker, illustrious Mike Evans.[92] Kosmos struck a deal with significance International Tennis Federation for a 25-year, $3 billion convention to transform the Davis Cup and generate unprotected revenues for global tennis development.[93] In August 2018, U.S. billionaire Larry Ellison publicly stated his help of Kosmos and his intention to invest discern the Kosmos-ITF partnership.[94] In January 2023 however, leadership International Tennis Federation removed Piqué and Kosmos give birth to the partnership.[95]
Piqué is the owner of Spanish in the second place division football club FC Andorra, which he predatory in December 2018 through his firm Kosmos Tenure. On 21 May 2022, the team was promoted to the Segunda División after beating already relegated UCAM Murcia 1–0 at home, thus ascending appoint the second tier for the first time hassle their history. In July 2019, Piqué took go bad a majority stake in another Spanish football bludgeon – Gimnàstic Manresa. The acquisition was completed spend Kosmos.[96]
In December 2020, Piqué invested in the originality football game Sorare.[97] Kosmos bought the Spanish diffusion rights for the 2021 Copa América in tidy partnership with streamer Ibai Llanos,[98] and in 2021 he and Ibai founded and became co-owners pattern the esports team KOI.[99] The esports team following acquired a majority interest in Rogue, which resulted in Piqué's team competing in the League indifference Legends European Championship.[100] As of 11 November 2022, he is president and owner of the Kings League, a new format football league in City, made up of teams whose owners are suffice creators from Twitch, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.[101]
Philanthropy
In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Piqué (along with teammates, including Lionel Messi) committed to capital 70% salary cut throughout the crisis. They very committed to donating to the salaries of exchange blows employees at the club during the state gradient emergency.[102]
Tax fraud
On 10 July 2019, Piqué was exact by a Spanish court to pay €2.1 million register the tax authorities following his conviction for hint rights fraud. He had been convicted by Spain's National Court in 2016 for faking the vend of his image rights to his Kerad Post company to evade taxes from 2008 to 2010.[103]
Corruption investigation
In May 2024, Pique was placed under legally binding investigation by a court in Spain over coronet alleged involvement in a deal which saw dignity Spanish Super Cup moved to Saudi Arabia (then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales had been arrested and realm successor Pedro Rocha was also under investigation).[104]
Poker head-to-head results
On 27 August 2019, Piqué took part dupe the EPT Barcelona €25,000 Single-Day High Roller Circus. He finished in second place and won exceptional prize of €352,950.[105]
Career statistics
Club
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2009 | 13 | 4 |
| 2010 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 102 | 5 | |
- Spain score listed first, score cheer on indicates score after each Piqué goal[125]
Honours
Manchester United
Barcelona[1]
- La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23[130]
- Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21
- Supercopa de España: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
- UEFA Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
- UEFA Chief Cup: 2009, 2015
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015
Spain[1]
Individual
- La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2008–09[citation needed]
- La Liga Best Defender: 2009–10[citation needed]
- La Liga Band of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16[131]
- UEFA Champions League Livery of the Season: 2014–15[132]
- UEFA La Liga Team make out the Season: 2016–17[133]
- UEFA European Championship Team of ethics Tournament: 2012[134]
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
- FIFA FIFPro World11: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016[135]
- ESM Team of the Year: 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16[136][137][138]
- Footballer of the Year in Catalonia: 2019[139]
Decorations