Barcelona defender Pique announces retirement
The sudden departure is for a better future
In the early morning of the 4th Beijing time, the famous central defender of the Barcelona club Pique suddenly announced his retirement, and said that the La Liga match with Almeria on the 5th will be the last game of his career.
Although Pique is 35 years old, he still has one and a half years of his contract with Barcelona, and his competitive state is still good. Why did he suddenly announce his retirement in the middle of the league? What kind of secrets are hidden in it?
Reporter Yin Chengjun
The former Barcelona "pillar"
Pique, as one of the most famous central defenders in the world, became famous in Barcelona and dedicated his best years to Barcelona.
It can be said that he is connected with Barcelona's blood and cannot be separated.
Since his maternal grandfather was the vice-president of the Barcelona club, Pique was registered as a life member of Barcelona the day he was born.
In 1997, at the age of 10, he naturally entered the Barcelona echelon and started training games.
Originally, if there were no accidents, Pique would have been playing for Barcelona.
However, when he was about to sign a formal contract with Barcelona in 2004, he had a disagreement with the club over the number of years, and Manchester United took the opportunity to poach him.
Pique unexpectedly became part of the Red Devils before being loaned to Zaragoza before returning to Old Trafford, winning a Premier League title and a Champions League until his contract expired in 2008 .
At this time, Pique was 21 years old, and it was when a central defender was making his big plans that Barcelona finally signed him back.
So far, Pique has officially appeared in his favorite club.
Since this year, Barcelona has started a fantastic journey under the leadership of Guardiola.
Puyol and Pique in the back line, Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta in the midfield, and Messi, Eto'o and Henry in the front, formed the strongest lineup at the time and also won Countless honors.
In the new season of 2022, Barcelona is eager to sign players. After Conde and Christensen joined, Pique became the fifth central defender. The number of appearances began to decrease, but he still had the ball to play and did not completely "retire".
That is, at this time, Pique suddenly announced his retirement, giving himself and the club no room for manoeuvre.
Barcelona saves tens of millions of euros
Pique's sudden decision, some people say, is to save money for Barcelona and help the club tide over the financial difficulties.
As we all know, Barcelona ushered in a wave of transfers this summer, signing big-name players such as Lewandowski, thus overdrafting the club’s budget for the next few years in advance.
On the other hand, the Barcelona club has compressed the salary space of players internally, and some high-paid players, including Pique and De Jong, have reduced their wages. At this point, Pique, who has the blood of Barcelona, has no complaints.
At this time, Pique announced to retire in the middle of the season and terminated his contract for one and a half years early, which is equivalent to saving the club 30 million euros in wages, plus the previous arrears, it is estimated that it can reach 80 million euros.
To a certain extent, this frees up part of the transfer funds for Barcelona next year.
Not just to save money
Of course, the reason for Pique's retirement is not so simple and straightforward. He also took into account all aspects before finally making such a decision, which is definitely not a whim.
In fact, the real reason for Pique's determination to retire is his position in the team.
Before, Pique withdrew from the national team hoping to concentrate on playing for Barcelona, but the fierce competition in the team coupled with his constant injuries made him see no hope. After communicating with coach Xavi, he knew that he had already been in Barcelona. There is no position, with his character, rather than "lying flat" and other coaches and fans dislike it, it is better to get out in advance and do something on your own.
What else does Pique do besides play football?
Yes, he is the representative of Barcelona's "rich and handsome". His family is very advantageous. Through his family connections, he has been running his own business, including real estate, games, sports events and financial institutions.
It can be said that Pique does not look down on his only one and a half years of salary left. If he cannot achieve success and satisfaction on the field, he might as well devote himself to his career. After all, he will take this step sooner or later.
Therefore, Pique retired when Barcelona's economy was at its most pressing, giving himself a decent step, giving Barcelona a chance to breathe, and leaving a good impression on the fans and the club's top management.
Perhaps in the near future, he may enter the Barcelona management and continue his "red and blue" blood in another way.
Qilu Evening News