Gerard Pique, a former center back for Manchester United, has confirmed that his final game in the professional football league will be this coming Saturday. Pique made the announcement of his intention to retire earlier this week.
The former Manchester United defender, who played for Barcelona from 2004 until 2008 and spent the first four years of his career at Old Trafford, has announced that he will retire from the sport after the Catalan club's match against Almeria at the Camp Nou in the La Liga championship. Pique broke the news in an emotional video post on Thursday evening, which was shared across social media.Pique, who is now 35 years old, has been playing for Barcelona ever since he left United in 2008. During his time at Barcelona, he has racked up a total of 615 appearances and scored 53 goals. In addition, during his time at the club, he has been awarded a total of thirty major honors, including three victories in the Champions League.
Pique stated the following in a video that was uploaded to his Instagram page: "The name is Gerard. Over the past few weeks and months, a great deal of attention has been focused on me by a lot of people. I have been relatively quiet up until this point.
"But at this point, I'd rather be the one doing the talking about myself. I know I'm not alone when I say that I've always been a fan of Barcelona. I was born into a family that is very passionate about football and supports Barca.
"Ever since I was a very young boy, I didn't want to become a football player; I wanted to be a player for Barcelona. Recently, that youngster has been dominating my thoughts quite a bit. Consider what young Gerard would have thought if he had been told that all of his dreams would come true when he was younger. that he would be able to play for the first team at Barcelona.
"That he would be victorious in every competition he entered. That he would eventually win both the world championship and the European championship. that he would compete against some of the greatest players in the annals of sports history. That he would eventually serve as a captain for the team. that he would meet people who would become lifelong friends.
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"I've been a part of Barca for the past quarter of a century. I went away, but then I came back. Football has provided for all of my needs. Barca has provided for all of my needs. You have provided me with everything I need. And now that all of that kid's dreams have come true, I want to tell you that I've decided that now is the time to bring this journey to a close so that we can move on to the next one.
"My position has never changed; I've always maintained that there won't be another team after Barcelona. And this is how it will continue to be. My final game at Camp Nou will be the one on this coming Saturday. I intend to become a dedicated follower. I will give my full backing to the team. The love that my family instilled in me for Barca will be something that I will give to my own children.
"You are familiar with me, so you know that sooner or later I'll be back. I'll see you at Camp Nou.
Always and forever, long live Barca."
Pique, who will turn 36 in February, only made 23 appearances for United and scored two goals during his time there. However, during his time at the club, he was awarded medals for both the Premier League and the Champions League.
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