Any good fairy tale has to come to an end, when the 35-year-old Gerard Piqué suddenly announced his retirement before the World Cup, and this round of Barça's home game against Almeria became his farewell game. At the age of 10, he has become a member of the team, and after the game, Pique said goodbye to the parent team affectionately, tears in his eyes, a sentence of "born as a Barça, died as the soul of Barça", and was angry.
The story of Pique and Barca lasted a quarter of a century and took up most of his 35-year life, when the team was in financial trouble, he was the first to take a sharp pay cut, and was even accused of being willing to play for free. Now that Barca are back on and no longer need him, Pique has stepped back decisively.
This summer, Xavi, an old teammate and current Barca manager, was accused of signaling to Pique that he was no longer needed, when Pique insisted on staying with the team, vowing to prove that he was "the best Xavi in the team". In the first 12 rounds of La Liga, Pique only made three starts and two substitute appearances, the team's performance was unaffected, and he was close to Real Madrid at the top of the table, and he knew that Barca really didn't need him anymore.
A pre-publicized farewell match, the match against Almeria turned into the most gorgeous farewell party. From the warm-up to the start, the support and cheers he received from the fans moved Pique to tears, and the Camp Nou stadium was filled with 92,605 people, in addition to president Laporta, even the president of Catalonia, Pere Aragonés, was present. From the start of the game, he received a standing tribute and Pique received applause from the audience for every touch of the ball.
There was no drama in the game, and not many people cared about the goals of Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong in the 48th and 62nd minutes, and the focus of the whole Camp Nou was only Pique who started again.
This is a privilege that even Messi does not enjoy, after all, the Argentine king left in a hurry a year ago, and not many people had time to react that he had left. As if to make up for Messi's regrets this time, or that the golden generation is gone, Barça fans bid farewell to the legend with enthusiasm this time. Pique was replaced in the 84th minute, and when he took off the captain's armband, he immediately waved goodbye to the fans, hugged goalkeepers Ter Stegen, Pedri and other teammates one by one, and when he walked out of the field, Xavi was already waiting on the bench.
The two hugged each other and said goodbye, and Pike was surrounded and thrown high by his teammates after the game, and then walked around the Camp Nou to play the famous song "Camins" by the famous Catalan band Sopa de Cabra. The stadium played out the highlights of his career, and then finally came the moment of farewell.
"In life, as you get older, even if you have a desire, let go at the right time. I have a lot of love with Barça and I think it's time to give each other a little space. Pique said halfway through, unable to hold back the boy's tears: "I firmly believe that I will return here in the future." It's not a goodbye because I left when I was 17, so I thought it was time to give space again. ”
"On the day I was born, my grandfather had applied for me to become a member of Barça. I was born as a Bassa and died as a Barça soul. Long live Barcelona! After Pique spoke, Camp Nou shocked the audience to applause and applause, some people shouted "president, chairman", expecting Pique to lead Barca in another posture in the future. When all his teammates returned to the locker room, Pique stayed on the grass with his parents and sons Milan and Sasha, enjoying his last few moments.
Teammate Busquets said: "He left a unique position, he wrote history, he left for the sake of the team... He is a model for Barça players and we will miss him. Boss Harvey described it as a night of history, while Cruyff said, "It's the way we all dream of saying goodbye, Pique is a winner by nature." The trophies he won and the performances he has always made will go down in history. ”