Former Manchester United player Gerard Piqué has announced that he will retire from football this weekend.
The Spanish veteran made the announcement via video on social media and, according to BBC Sport, will play his last match on Saturday night.
The 35-year-old, who came through Barcelona’s youth ranks, spent four seasons at United.
But after rejoining his boyhood team in 2008, he became a legend at the club, making more than 600 appearances.
The defender has won more than 30 trophies in his time at the Camp Nou, including eight LaLiga titles.
With three Champions League victories also under his belt, Pique has revealed that he will drastically retire midway through the season, just as he and his team-mates were eliminated from this year’s competition in the group stage.
And with Barcelona’s well-documented ongoing financial difficulties, the Spain international has decided the time is right for him to close the final door on an illustrious career.
And after retiring from international duty in 2018, after making 102 appearances for his country, this weekend’s home game against Almeria will be the former United man’s last in the game.
“I have always said that there would be no other team after Barça and so it will be,” Piqué explained in his social media post.
However, Piqué teased that he may well return to the club, insisting that “sooner or later I’ll be back”, hinting at a possible new role in the future.
Despite being one of many players forced to take a pay cut from Barcelona, the Spaniard has remained loyal to the club he has spent over 20 years with.
And according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, the defender sees himself as a future president at Camp Nou.
As the former Red Devil’s long, trophy-filled career draws to a close, another of Sir Alex Ferguson’s signings retires at the top of the game, testament to the great man and his ability to spot greatness.
