"You drink a gin and tonic until two in the morning and the next day you train like a rose" - Barcelona legend Gerard Pique says footballers aren't robots who only 'eat, sleep and train'
Barcelona legend Gerard Pique has shed light on the reality of a footballer’s life, shattering the belief that they do not indulge in anything beyond football.
Having enjoyed a stellar professional football career with Spain and Barcelona, Pique announced his retirement on November 4. The Spaniard announced that he would not return to action when club football resumed post-2022 FIFA World Cup.
He started in his last match at Camp Nou on November 5, helping his team to a 2-0 win over Almeria. Pique was on the bench in Tuesday’s (November 8) away clash at Osasuna, but was sent off for dissent at half-time, retiring with a red card without even playing.
Gerard Pique's career ends with a red card while on the bench for Barcelona 🟥 https://t.co/vV38C9UEPy
Since officially retiring, Pique has had a heart-to-heart chat with renowned Spanish internet celebrity Ibai Llanos. During the session, he corrected the notion some people have of footballers’ lives. He said (via Marca):
“I understand that people care so much about football, but they have to understand that the players are people. You are not a robot that only trains, eats and sleeps. We need to have a social life, to party."
He added:
“In a career of almost 20 years competing at the highest level means that he has known how to take care of me. And I have gone out to party. You have to go out at 20 and at 21, it is mandatory to go out to party. If you don't go out in five years there is something dark. Everything at one end is bad.”
The Barcelona no. 3 concluded by saying:
“Dinners, you drink a gin and tonic until two in the morning and the next day you train like a rose. Never in my life have I left before a match. The only time when we won the first treble and went to La Coruña to play. Pep told me not to go out because I was going to play. Obviously I went out. And I got injured in the 60th minute.”
Pique leaves Barca after 15 long seasons, during which he won eight La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies, amongst other honors.
Gerard Pique reveals how he felt at Barcelona
In his candid interview with Llanos, Pique talked about the love he felt from the Barcelona supporters. The former Manchester United player claimed that he always felt at one with them, adding that footballers were now too detached from their fans.
Sempre Barça. Sempre Piqué. https://t.co/asdIJrVlMA
Pique added:
“I have always felt very loved at Barça. Perhaps because the fans felt that I was one of them. My way of acting brought me closer to them. I think that in today's football, the players are very distanced from everything: the press, the fans. ... we should get closer but it's not easy. The squads want protection.”
Pique played 616 games (all competitions) for Barcelona over the course of his career, scoring 53 goals.