Gerard Piqué facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gerard Piqué

Piqué with Spain in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Gerard Piqué Bernabeu
Date of birth	(1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Barcelona, Spain
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Youth career
1997–2004	Barcelona
2004	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2008	Manchester United	12	(0)
2006–2007	→ Zaragoza (loan)	22	(2)
2008–2022	Barcelona	397	(29)
Total		431	(31)
International career
2002–2003	Spain U16	7	(2)
2004	Spain U17	8	(3)
2006	Spain U19	8	(3)
2007	Spain U20	5	(1)
2006–2008	Spain U21	12	(1)
2009–2018	Spain	102	(5)
2008–2019	Catalonia	10	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Spain FIFA World Cup Winner 2010 {{{3}}} UEFA European Championship Winner 2012 {{{3}}} FIFA Confederations Cup Runner-up 2013 Third 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship Winner 2006 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Runner-up 2004
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gerard Piqué Bernabeu (born 2 February 1987) is a Spanish former professional footballer. He played as a centre-back, which is a defender who plays in the middle of the field. Many people think he was one of the best defenders of his time.

Piqué started playing football at a young age in Barcelona's famous La Masia academy. He began his professional career with Manchester United in 2004. He later returned to Barcelona in 2008. There, he helped the team win many important titles, including two "trebles" (winning three major competitions in one season). He played in 616 games for Barcelona and won 31 big club titles. This included nine La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League titles. He is one of only four players to win the Champions League two years in a row with different teams.

Piqué also played for the Spanish national team 102 times. He helped Spain win the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He stopped playing for the national team after the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Gerard Piqué Bernabeu was born on 2 February 1987 in Barcelona, Spain. He began his football journey in the youth teams of FC Barcelona. He played as a defensive midfielder back then. Before signing his first professional contract with Barcelona, he decided to join Manchester United. Since he was very young, Manchester United did not have to pay a fee for him.

Playing for Manchester United

Piqué made his first appearance for Manchester United in October 2004. He played as a centre-back in a League Cup match. His full debut came in January 2005 in an FA Cup game. He played his first Premier League match in October 2005. His good performances, especially in the reserve team, earned him a new contract in February 2005.

In August 2006, Piqué went on loan to Real Zaragoza in Spain for a season. He played in 22 games for them, either as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder. After his loan, he returned to Manchester United. He played in nine league games during the 2007–08 season. He scored his first goal for the club in a UEFA Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv in November 2007.

Coming Back to Barcelona

Piqué during the 2008 Joan Gamper Trophy

On 27 May 2008, Piqué signed a four-year contract to return to his childhood club, Barcelona. Barcelona paid about £5 million for him. He was very happy to be back. He said he enjoyed his time at Manchester United and learned a lot from playing with world-class players.

Piqué scored his first goal for Barcelona in a Champions League game in November 2008. His first goal in a Spanish cup match came in January 2009 against Espanyol. In May, he scored Barcelona's sixth goal in a big 6–2 win against Real Madrid.

He won his first trophy with Barcelona on 13 May 2009, helping them win the Copa del Rey Final. A few days later, Barcelona won the 2008–09 La Liga title. On 27 May, Piqué played against his old club, Manchester United, in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final. Barcelona won 2–0, completing a historic "treble" of trophies. They were the first Spanish club to do this.

In December 2009, Piqué helped Barcelona win the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Final. This meant they had won an amazing six trophies in one year. In February 2010, he signed a new contract to stay at Barcelona until at least 2015. In May 2011, Piqué played in his second Champions League Final. Barcelona beat Manchester United 3–1 to win the trophy again.

Piqué playing in 2012

In December 2011, Piqué started in Barcelona's 4–0 victory against Santos in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final. He signed another contract extension in May 2014, keeping him at the club until 2019.

Piqué was a key player when Barcelona won their fifth European Cup/Champions League title in June 2015. They beat Juventus 3–1 in Berlin. This made Barcelona the first club to win the "treble" twice. Piqué was one of the few players who were part of both treble-winning teams. In December 2015, he played in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final, which Barcelona won 3–0.

He extended his contract again in January 2018, until 2022. In August 2019, he played his 500th game for Barcelona in a 5–2 win against Real Betis. In October 2020, Piqué signed another contract extension until June 2024. In March 2021, he scored a last-minute goal in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, helping Barcelona win and reach the final, which they also won.

On 3 November 2022, Piqué announced he would retire from football. His last game was Barcelona's La Liga match against Almería on 5 November. He was substituted off to a huge cheer from the fans. Barcelona players wore special shirts to celebrate him. The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, said he believed Piqué would one day become a great president of Barcelona.

International Career with Spain

Youth Team Success

Piqué was part of the Spain under-19 team that won the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Poland. In the final against Scotland, Piqué played very well in defense and also helped in attack. He even helped set up Spain's second goal.

He then played in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He started all six of Spain's matches and scored a goal in a 4–2 win against Brazil. However, Spain was knocked out in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout.

Playing for the Senior Team

Piqué (back row, first from right) lining up before the UEFA Euro 2012 Final

Piqué was called up to the senior squad for the first time in February 2009. He played the whole match in a 2–0 win against England. In his second international game, in March 2009, he scored the only goal in Spain's 1–0 win against Turkey in a World Cup qualifier.

Piqué (right) playing for Spain in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Final

Piqué was Spain's main centre-back at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in all seven matches as Spain won the tournament, beating the Netherlands 1–0 in the final. Piqué and his defensive partner helped Spain only let in two goals in seven World Cup matches.

Piqué played every minute of Spain's UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. He helped Spain keep five clean sheets (not letting in any goals) in a row. In the final, Spain won 4–0 against Italy. Piqué was chosen as one of the best defenders in the tournament.

At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, Piqué was sent off the field with a red card in the final against Brazil. Spain lost the match 3–0. In June 2016, Piqué scored his fifth goal for Spain, a late header in a 1–0 win against the Czech Republic at UEFA Euro 2016.

In June 2018, Piqué played his 100th international game for Spain in a 1–0 win against Iran at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 11 August 2018, Piqué announced he was retiring from international football. In March 2019, he played his 10th game for the Catalonia team in a friendly match.

How Gerard Piqué Played

Piqué was a modern and strong defender. He was good at tackling and also had excellent technique and passing skills. Because he was tall, he was very good at heading the ball. Even though he mostly played as a centre-back, he could also play as a defensive midfielder, which was his position when he was younger. Sometimes, he even played like a "sweeper," similar to the famous German player Franz Beckenbauer. This earned him the nickname "Piquénbauer."

He was also known for moving forward into attacking positions, especially if his team needed a goal late in a game. His ability to pass the ball and understand the game helped him form a great defensive partnership with Carles Puyol for both Barcelona and Spain. Many experts considered him one of the best defenders in the world. In 2018, Puyol said Piqué was "the best centre-back in the world" because of how smart, calm, and good at anticipating plays he became.

Gerard Piqué's Life Outside Football

Piqué grew up in a Catalan family. His father, Joan, is a businessman, and his mother, Montserrat, is a director at a hospital in Barcelona. He has a younger brother named Marc. His grandfather, Amador Bernabeu, used to be a vice-president of FC Barcelona.

From 2011 to 2022, Piqué was in a relationship with Colombian singer Shakira. They met when he was in the music video for her song "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)". Piqué and Shakira share the same birthday, but they are ten years apart. They have two sons together, named Milan and Sasha. In June 2022, they announced they were separating for personal reasons. Piqué has been in a relationship with Clara Chía Martí since 2022.

Piqué was the face of the men's clothing line HE by Mango for four seasons. In 2012, he lent his voice to the Catalan version of the movie The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!.

Business Ventures

Piqué is the founder and president of Kosmos Holding, a company that invests in sports and media. Through Kosmos, he made a big deal with the International Tennis Federation to change the Davis Cup tennis tournament.

Piqué also owns the Spanish football club FC Andorra, which he bought in December 2018. In May 2022, the team was promoted to the Segunda División, the second tier of Spanish football, for the first time ever. In July 2019, Kosmos also took over another Spanish football club, Gimnàstic Manresa.

In December 2020, Piqué invested in a fantasy football game called Sorare. He also bought the Spanish broadcasting rights for the 2021 Copa América football tournament with streamer Ibai Llanos. In 2021, he and Ibai started an esports team called KOI. As of November 2022, he is also the president and owner of the Kings League, a new football league in Barcelona where teams are owned by popular online content creators.

Helping Others

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Piqué and his teammates, including Lionel Messi, agreed to a 70% salary cut. They also promised to donate money to help pay the salaries of all other employees at the club during that difficult time.

Poker Achievements

On 27 August 2019, Piqué took part in a big poker tournament in Barcelona. He finished in second place and won a prize of €352,950.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances and Goals

Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Piqué goal

List of international goals scored by Gerard Piqué

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	28 March 2009	Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain	2	Turkey	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	12 August 2009	Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia	8	Macedonia	2–2	3–2	Friendly
3	5 September 2009	Estadio Riazor, A Coruña, Spain	9	Belgium	3–0	5–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	14 October 2009	Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	12	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	5–2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	13 June 2016	Stadium Municipal, Toulouse, France	78	Czech Republic	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2016

Honours and Awards

Piqué celebrating victory after receiving his medal for winning the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final

Gerard Piqué won many trophies and awards throughout his career:

Manchester United

• Premier League: 2007–08
• Football League Cup: 2005–06
• FA Community Shield: 2007
• UEFA Champions League: 2007–08

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23
• Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21
• Supercopa de España: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
• UEFA Champions League: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
• UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2015
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011, 2015

Piqué with the Henri Delaunay Trophy in 2012

Spain National Team

• FIFA World Cup: 2010
• UEFA European Championship: 2012
• UEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2006

Individual Awards

• La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2008–09
• La Liga Best Defender: 2009–10
• La Liga Team of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16
• UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2014–15
• UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2016–17
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2012
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
• FIFA FIFPro World11: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016
• ESM Team of the Year: 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
• Footballer of the Year in Catalonia: 2019

Decorations

• Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2011

See also

In Spanish: Gerard Piqué para niños

• List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances
• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps