Barcelona legend Gerard Pique reveals how his relationship with Real Madrid legend changed after Jose Mourinho's arrival at Santiago Bernabeu
Barcelona legend Gerard Pique recently revealed that his relationship with former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos took a turn for the worse after Jose Mourinho's arrival in the Spanish capital.
Mourinho took charge of Los Blancos from Manuel Pellegrini after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Ramos and Pique had just won the tournament in South Africa as teammates. While many expected their chemistry to be at an all-time high, it was the polar opposite.
Barcelona were the dominant force in Spanish football when Mourinho took charge of Los Blancos. The Portuguese instilled a robust mentality in his team to keep up with Pep Guardiola's side. The El Clasico became a more heated encounter as a result. Even teammates from the Spanish national team often engaged in brawls on the pitch.
🎙️| Pique: “Me & Ramos were friends almost all the time until Mourinho arrived at Madrid. Our El Clásicos became very tense.” @DeportesCuatro https://t.co/aMu344yCFF
Looking back at his chemistry with Ramos, Gerard Pique recently said in an interview with John Nellis (via Cuatro):
"We were friends almost all the time until Mourinho arrived at Real Madrid and then our matches (in the classicos) were too intense. At that time the relationship in the (Spanish national) team was not the best."
Pique, however, added that he eventually managed to reconcile with his central defending partner. The Blaugrana legend said:
"I think that after Mourinho left we were able to recover that relationship and it was key to win Euro 2012 and have all the success we had with the national team.”
Mourinho's Real Madrid did manage to bring an end to the Catalan club's dominance in La Liga. They won the league in 2011-12, scoring 100 points from 38 games, nine more than their arch-rivals.
Barcelona legend Gerard Pique had good things to say about former Real Madrid superstar Iker Casillas
While the likes of Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas were rivals at club level, the Barcelona and Real Madrid superstars were crucial to the team's success at international level between 2008 and 2012.
La Roja won two UEFA Euros and a FIFA World Cup in that timespan. Pique was recently asked to choose a goalkeeper, a defender and a midfielder among his former La Roja teammates.
Piqué: “The penalty Pepe got for his dive against Elche was one of Real’s most historic embarrassments.”
Casillas: “What’s really embarrassing was your game against Chelsea.” https://t.co/ivdAeFxKQW
He chose Casillas, Puyol and Cesc Fabregas. The legendary central defender said:
"Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol and Cesc FĂ bregas"
All three players were crucial to the Spanish national team's unprecedented success at the international level.