Barcelona legend Gerard Pique reveals European giants wanted to sign him before leaving Manchester United
Barcelona legend Gerard Pique has revealed that Juventus wanted to sign him before he left Manchester United in 2008. The former defender recently announced his retirement from the sport, playing his last game for the Blaugrana on Sunday, November 6.
"Juve gave me more money when I signed for Barca. When I went to United I told Barca that if they gave me a third of what United gave me I would keep it but they said no," Pique said as per MARCA.
A Barcelona youth product, Pique moved to Manchester United in a €5.25 million deal in 2004. He was a promising 17-year-old defender back then but failed to make an impact at Old Trafford due to the presence of world-class defenders in the first team.
Subsequently, he was sent on a year-long loan back to Spain with Real Zaragoza in 2006. Chances were hard to come by even after the loan spell and Barcelona then came calling in 2008, signing him for €5 million.
For the Red Devils, Pique made just 23 appearances across competitions but won the Premier League and the Champions League during his final season with them.
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"I have always told my agent that I was not going to leave Barca" - Barcelona legend Gerard Pique
It was at Barcelona that Gerard Pique grew into a world-beating defender, forming a strong pairing with legendary Spaniard Carles Puyol. A La Masia graduate, Pique was clear that he would never leave the club.
He went on to claim that had the club decided against renewing his contract even during the peak of his career, he would have retired from the sport.
"I have always told my agent that I was not going to leave Barca. At 28, 29 years old, if Barca told me that they would not renew me, I would have retired. I had no other motivation," the former centre-back added.
In 15 years after returning to the Catalan giants from Manchester United, Pique won every possible club competition, as well as the World Cup and Euros with the Spanish national team.
Sempre Barça. Sempre Piqué. https://t.co/asdIJrVlMA
In total, he represented the Blaugrana in 616 matches across competitions. He won three Champions League trophies and eight La Liga titles with them.