“I would take him to war with me” – Luis Enrique claims ex-Barcelona man is ‘very similar’ to himself
Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has claimed that Gerard Pique is similar to him and also praised the retired defender's professionalism.
Enrique recently stepped down from his position as the Spanish national team's coach following La Roja's exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The 2010 world champions were beaten on penalties by Morocco for a second consecutive elimination in the competition's Round of 16.
Spain's under-21 coach Luis de la Fuente has already been announced as his replacement.
In his first appearance since resigning, Enrique joined popular Spanish Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos, where he spoke of a range of issues.
Luis Enrique: "I would always take Gerard Piqué to war with me. He was one of the most competitive players." https://t.co/QZD2mBJBf2
At one point, he spoke of his former player Pique, who retired from Barcelona last month.
Though the centre-back retired from international duty in 2018, Enrique included him in his 55-man preliminary squad for the Qatar showpiece. He then whittled it down to 26 players which didn't include Pique.
The former Blaugrana coach appeared to praise the Spaniard for his professionalism while insisting that he's similar to him.
Speaking to Llanos, he said (via Football Espana):
“Gerard Piqué doesn’t get stressed by life compared to the others. He is a great professional, and very competitive."
He added:
“He is very similar to me, a funny, playful guy who looks at life through a different prism. He puts things into perspective and is very special. I have no complaints about professional Geri as a footballer, he is hyper-competitive, and I would take him to war with me.”
Pique announced his shock retirement from Barcelona in November as he wasn't happy with his substitute role at the club.
He'd fallen behind Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia in the pecking order. He made only 10 appearances in all competitions in the 2022-23 season until he hung up his boots.
Gerard Piqué leaves the Camp Nou for the final time 🥺 https://t.co/eGKG1Lk49Z
Widely considered one of the greatest defenders of all time, the 35-year-old played 616 times for the Blaugrana. He lifted 30 trophies with the Catalans, including eight La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League trophies.
Barcelona leading the race for 2022-23 La Liga title
Barcelona went into the mid-season break at the top of La Liga with 37 points from 14 games, while winning their last five games.
A 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in October had opened up a three-point gap between them and their arch-rivals.
However, with the reigning champions dropping points twice since then, Barcelona have capitalized on it to go top with a two-point lead. They will be aiming to win their first top-flight title since 2019.
They will host Espanyol on December 31 in their first match after the return.