The defender, who has previously stated his desire to serve as president of Barcelona, said he would take a break from the team but reiterated the fact that he would eventually return.
In Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over Almeria on Saturday, Gerard Pique played his final match at Camp Nou and promised the crowd he would return.
After Tuesday’s game against Osasuna, the 35-year-old center back, who has 30 medals to his name with the club, including three Champions League championships and eight La Ligas, will hang up his boots.
After more than 14 years in the Barcelona first team, Pique was applauded by the crowd the entire game. At the conclusion of the match, his teammates gave him a lap of honor and threw him into the air as over 92,000 supporters lingered in Camp Nou to honor him.
Pique addressed the crowd after the game and thanked his teammates, the staff, and everyone else that helps to make things so simple.
For all these years, to the board as well. As you become older, love can occasionally mean letting go.
“After a relationship filled with such love and passion, I believe the time had come to offer some room and some breathing room. I’m certain I’ll return here in the future.
“It’s not a farewell. After 17 years, I left to obtain some fresh air. I joined the club because of my granddad. I was born and will pass away here.
Pique, who won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 Euros with Spain, sobbed throughout his statement and later played catch with his kids on the field as the crowd left.
Before speaking on television once more, he received some personal congratulations from board members and president Joan Laporta at a private ceremony in Camp Nou.
Pique said to DAZN, “Your career spans many years and includes many game trophies, but what you keep with you are the friendships, the nights, playing in the World Cup, and the Euros.”
The friendships are what you carry with you, not the medals, which are metal and have a number.
The defender, who has previously stated his desire to serve as president of Barcelona, said he would take a break from the team but reiterated the fact that he would eventually return.
Pique, who has already entered the world of sports-related business, stated, “I’ve got a thousand things to do, I’ll get organized.”
He is the president and a founder of Kosmos Holdings, which has modernized the Davis Cup in tennis, invested in second-tier football clubs in Spain and Andorra, and purchased some international football TV rights.
“This is my home, and I’ll be back someday. Now is the time to temporarily part ways and come back stronger. I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to spend with my loved ones and friends before beginning my new life.
“The last few months have not been easy, so (being replaced) took a weight off my shoulders. I leave feeling satisfied that I gave it my all.
“I’ve given everything, but sometimes things go better and other times they go worse. It fills me with pride. I’m heading off in peace, having completed my schoolwork.
