Xavi Hernandez He spoke this Friday about the most complicated decision of his player, former teammate and friend, Gerard Piqué. the former of Shakira announced his retirement from Barça and football this Thursday after a convulsive year on the pitch due to his poor performance and on a personal level due to his separation.
read also – Piqué has not been able to withstand the pressure on all fronts: the reasons for his withdrawal
The central defender of Barça, happy in love with the twenty-year-old Clara Chiawill play his last game at the Camp Nou this weekend, against Almería: “The game was conditioned by Piqué’s dismissal, he deserves all the praise, I was lucky to be his teammate. Adverse circumstances have made him decide to leave him. I went through a similar situation and it’s normal to step aside. He had a contract and deciding to leave it is a gesture of greatness. He’s a club legend and deserves to be recognized like that,” the Catalan coach said at a press conference.
Xavi: “Piqué is a winner. He has always been” pic.twitter.com/QnOUzKYCg5
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) November 4, 2022
Xavi, in the summer, separated the personal from the professional and at the beginning of this season he made it clear to Piqué that he was not up to the level of the team he wanted to build: “We had a conversation in the summer, I told him my intentions. one of the most difficult days of my coaching career and now too, he was my partner. It’s happened to all of us, when there comes a time when you don’t feel so useful, it’s not easy to manage. We’ve known this week”.
The decision that Xavi made was complicated, especially considering everything that Piqué has contributed to Barça: “Sometimes this job is unpleasant, making certain decisions with teammates like Piqué or Alves. I’m not going to reveal the conversation (…) I don’t know if I’ve been fair or not, but I’ve been sincere and honest. And Gerard has been an example for the team, for the youngsters, the staff. I was honest with him and now the circumstances have marked that he has put an end to it.” .
In this sense, he only has good words for his friend: “These are circumstances, many times we do not choose the ending. They have happened like this and he has made the decision now. He has helped us a lot, he has pulled the car, when he has played he has been very well, involved, he is competitive and a winner”.
The mark that Piqué has left on the club’s history is deep, despite his poor performance in recent times: “Brave, competitive, winner, he has no complexes or fears. He is intelligent, he is involved in what he does, he has been a good teammate and a good captain. Nothing to reproach him for. There’s nothing personal, it’s just a football issue”, Xavi said about him. After everything that has happened, he considers that the defense “has earned the right to choose how and when, it is his decision.”
read also – Gerard Piqué announces withdrawal after his separation from Shakira and the Clara Chía scandal
The team and the fans will do everything possible to make the footballer’s farewell, who was part of the best Barça in history, epic: “Tomorrow is an extra motivation, his farewell, to give him the three points, that he leaves with good feelings And let them applaud and chant his name. May it be a great day for the club and especially for Piqué. Without him we lose leadership, commitment, courage… For me he is one of the great central defenders in history”.
Pique’s farewell
Piqué said goodbye to his fans at 18:36 this Thursday through an emotional video shared on his social networks: “Culés, I’m Gerard. These weeks, months, many people have talked about me and until now I haven’t said anything. Now I’m going to be the one to talk to you about myself. As many of you know, I’ve always been a Barça fan, I was born in a very footballing family and very culé. From a very young age, I didn’t want to be a footballer, I wanted to be a Barça player. I thought a lot about that boy and what little Gerard would have said if he had been told that he would fulfill all his dreams. Football has given me everything, Barça has given me everything. You, the Catalans, have given me everything”.
Culers, I have to tell you something. pic.twitter.com/k3V919pm1T
— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) November 3, 2022
In the video he reviews his life, from his childhood as a culé until today. “I have decided that it is time to close the circle. I always said that after Barça there was no other team and that is how it will be. This Saturday will be my last game at the Camp Nou,” he added.