Gerard Pique is a Spanish professional footballer who played for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012 winning teams. He is a center-back for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team, and he is one of only four players to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams (the others are Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa, and Samuel Eto’o). He was always interested in football and began his youth career in 1997, when he was 10 years old, when he joined the FC Barcelona academy. He quickly evolved into a young player with enormous potential to be a future football star, since he was energetic, dedicated, and talented. He progressed through the various young levels throughout time and was particularly adept at adapting to varied places on the field. Despite his defensive position, he developed a reputation for scoring goals, a skill that would serve him well in his professional career. He made his Manchester United debut in 2004 as a substitute for John O’Shea. Gerard received an offer from FC Barcelona a few years later, which marked a turning point in his career. He’s also played for Spain, having made his debut in 2009.
Childhood and Adolescence
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu was born in Barcelona, Spain, on February 2, 1987, to Joan Piqué and Montserrat Bernabeu. His father is an entrepreneur, and his mother is the director of a prominent Barcelona spinal injuries center. He only has one sibling. He acquired an early interest in football and began his youth career in 1997, when he joined the FC Barcelona academy as a ten-year-old and was assigned to the club’s youngest boys’ squad (Alevn B).
He was one of his team’s major defenders and spent several years at the academy, progressing through the various young levels and age categories (Alevn A, Infantil B and A, Cadete B and A, and Juvenil B and A). He was a gifted and hardworking teenager who received a slew of awards along the way. He developed into a good player with a strong capacity to adapt to various places on the pitch throughout his time at the academy. Despite his defensive position, he became known for scoring goals. At the end of the 2003–04 season, he left FC Barcelona.
Career of Gerard Piqué
Gerard Pique made his Manchester United debut as a centre-back in a Carling Cup match against Crewe Alexandra in October 2004 as a substitution for John O’Shea. He made his entire Manchester United debut in a Premier League match against West Ham United at Old Trafford in March 2006, playing at right-back. He was filling in for Gary Neville, who was out with an injury.
For the 2006–07 season, Manchester United loaned him to Real Zaragoza of La Liga. He got to play 22 games with Argentine Gabriel Milito, either as a goalkeeper or a holding midfielder. He did, however, spend a lot of time on the bench.
In 2007–08, Gerard Pique returned to Manchester United and had a spectacular Champions League season. On 7 November 2007, he scored the first of Manchester United’s four goals in a 4–0 home triumph over Dynamo Kyiv, and on 12 December 2007, he scored his second goal in an away encounter against Roma.
In May 2008, he signed a four-year contract with Barcelona that included a €5 million buyout clause. He made 45 games in his first season with Barcelona, becoming the team’s first choice centre defender while also scoring three goals.
In the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Final, he was a member of the Barcelona team that defeated Argentine club Estudiantes 2–1. He was instrumental in the game, as he helped Pedro Rodrguez’s 89th-minute equalizer, which forced extra time.
In 2009, he was selected for the Spain national football team. He came on as a substitute for injured teammate Carles Puyol in the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Turkey at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, scoring his team’s only goal.
At the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, he was Spain’s first-choice centre-back, alongside Puyol. Spain only conceded twice in seven World Cup games thanks to his relationship with Puyol. Following a 1–0 victory over the Netherlands in the final, Spain went on to win the tournament.
He continued to play with Barcelona, appearing in the 2011 Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium, when his club defeated Manchester United 3–1 to win the European Cup.
Gerard Pique was a member of the Spanish national squad that competed in the 2012 UEFA Euros. In a semi-final shoot-out win over Portugal, he paired Sergio Ramos in the center of defense and converted the team’s third penalty.
In the 2013–14 season, he appeared in 39 official appearances for Barcelona and scored four goals, two in the league and two more in the UCL. However, injuries dogged him, and he was forced to miss the critical Copa del Rey Final against Real Madrid. He appeared in 43 games for Barcelona in 2014–15.
Achievements & Awards
In 2009, he was voted the Breakthrough Player of the Year in La Liga.
He was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit in 2011.
Personal History and Legacy
He is dating Colombian singer Shakira, whom he met in the music video for her single “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which was the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They have two sons together.
Estimated Net Worth
Gerard Pique has a net worth of $80 million dollars.