Gerard Piqué was sent off from the bench in his last official match as a Barcelona player last night.
Piqué had a few words with the referee at the break and followed him through the tunnel.
He has been expelled for protesting with the referees and will not make his last appearance with Barcelona… pic.twitter.com/8DUlxySEYn
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 8, 2022
The former United midfielder announced his retirement from the game last week, in a surprise mid-season decision.
Piqué was shown a red card for protesting with the officials as they were leaving the pitch for half-time, a disagreement that spilled over into the locker room and resulted in the referee ending any chance of Piqué ending his Barca career in field.
Barça was aggrieved by the red card shown to Robert Lewandowski in the first half of the match, in which they lost 1-0 at half-time.
United’s opponents in the Europa League playoffs rallied in the second half to beat Osasuna 2-1, thanks to goals from Pedri and Raphinha.
However, Pique was unable to add to his incredible 616 appearances for his boyhood club, after letting his emotions get the better of him.
Despite last night’s blur, Piqué leaves Barcelona as one of the most successful players of his generation.
A linchpin in the wheel that swept everything away for the better part of a decade, Piqué’s role in the team regarded as the greatest club of all time was undeniable.
Piqué left United after their Champions League triumph in 2008, having made 23 appearances for the club.
The central half achieved unprecedented success at both club and international level.
Piqué added three more Champions to his with United, eight Leagues to his only Premier League, seven Copas del Rey and three Club World Cups and Super Cups, at domestic level.
Added to this are Spain’s triumphs in the World Cup and the European Championship in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
Although United did not see the best of Pique, he has often referred to his years at Manchester as shaping him and he will have the best wishes of all United fans for the next challenge in his career.
