Pique: After getting along with Shakira, my relationship with Guardiola changed, and I wanted to go at one point

Barca defender Pique recently participated in the recording of the new season of the podcast La Sotana, talking about a series of hot topics related to Barca.

Looking ahead to the season

We have the ability to win something.

Talk about the changes in Barcelona

We've reached a very high level in football, and a club can't sustain it at that high level. Before Guardiola came to Barca to bring us the treble, we also played in the Europa League.

Talk about the retirement timeline

I will retire at Barca. It could indeed be my last season. I'm playing for a year and watching a year, so I can't guarantee that I'll be at Barca next season. If one day I feel like I can't help the team as I used to, I'll leave. I always know how to manage my body.

When I came to Barcelona, I went out to surf more times than the sun came out. A lot of people say I'm less than 34 years old when I go down like this. If people knew even 5% of me in their first year, they would have figured it out a lot. Emotional stability is also another very important aspect for me.

Talk about whether Bartomeu is the worst president in Barca history

I can't say if he's one of the worst in history. From the perspective of the president I have experienced, it may be. We all have responsibilities, but it is true that the club is not moving in the direction that all Barca people would like. Now I am full of hope and expectation. Barca will be fine in the next 5-10 years.

Talk about Eric Garcia

He'll be a great centre-back at Barca. He still has a long career. He made his debut at Barca, went to Manchester City and then came back here and with that experience he would have been a good player.

Talk about Messi leaving the team

Laporta contacted us and told us that Messi was leaving. Strange? My view of this is that the problem of fiscal equity is more serious than we expected. By the time I went on vacation, I was already negotiating a pay cut with the club. I gave up part of it. Look at the present, even if we have reached an agreement with the captains to cut salaries, we have only registered those new signings. The club was watching Messi until the official announcement, because the agreement had been reached long ago.

Talk about pay cuts

I gave up part of my salary and my contract expired this year, but if I played a certain number of games, I would automatically renew my contract on the same terms. Now the fixed salary and variable salary in the contract have been changed.

Talk about Koeman

No one ever forced you to sign a manager. Laporta needed time to think about it, and in the end he chose Koeman. Now he is barca's ideal coach.

Talk about Guardiola

We reached a very tense situation with him at the time, basically in the dressing room. And Mourinho's sword-rattling consumes us too much. Guardiola wanted absolute control over everything around him. I started dating Shakira at the time, and then my relationship with him changed. Now our relationship is good. I was really stressed at the time. I feel like I have to be perfect in training. If there's a time when I feel like I want to leave the team, it's that season. His last season at Barca was tough for me.

(Editor: Yao Fan)