Gerard Piqué facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gerard Piqué

Piqué with Spain in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth	(1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Barcelona, Spain
Height	1.94 m
Playing position	Centre-back
Youth career
1997–2004	Barcelona
2004	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2008	Manchester United	12	(0)
2006–2007	→ Real Zaragoza (loan)	22	(2)
2008–2022	Barcelona	397	(29)
Total		431	(31)
National team
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)
Honours 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
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

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

Gerard 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. Later, in 2008, he returned to Barcelona. He helped Barcelona win many important titles, including the "treble" (winning three major competitions in one season) twice. He played 616 matches for Barcelona and won 31 big club trophies. These 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

Early Days

Gerard Piqué Bernabeu was born on 2 February 1987 in Barcelona, Catalonia. He began his football journey in the youth teams of FC Barcelona. He first played as a defensive midfielder. However, before he signed his first professional contract with Barcelona, he decided to join Manchester United. The English club did not have to pay a transfer fee for Piqué because he was too young to have a professional contract at the time.

Playing for Manchester United

Piqué made his first appearance for Manchester United in October 2004. He came on as a substitute in a League Cup match. His first full game was in January 2005 in an FA Cup draw. 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. However, in August 2006, he went on loan to La Liga club Real Zaragoza for a season. He played 22 games for Zaragoza, either as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder.

Piqué returned to Manchester United for the 2007–08 season. He scored his first goal for the club in the UEFA Champions League in November 2007. This made him the 450th player to score a goal for Manchester United.

Back to Barcelona

Piqué during the 2008 Joan Gamper Trophy

On 27 May 2008, Piqué signed a four-year contract to return to FC Barcelona. Barcelona paid about £5 million for him.

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

On 13 May, he won his first trophy with Barcelona, the Copa del Rey. 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 Champions League Final. Barcelona won 2–0, completing a historic "treble" (winning the league, domestic cup, and Champions League).

In December 2009, Piqué helped Barcelona win the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Final. This completed an amazing "sextuple" (six trophies in one year). He even helped set up the equalizing goal in the final. In February 2010, he signed a new contract to stay at Barcelona until 2015.

On 7 December 2010, Piqué was captain for the first time in a Barcelona match. In May 2011, Piqué played in his second Champions League Final. Barcelona beat Manchester United 3–1 to win the trophy again.

Piqué also played in Barcelona's 4–0 victory against Santos in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final in December 2011.

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 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 only a few players who were part of both treble-winning teams.

In December 2015, Piqué played in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final, which Barcelona won 3–0.

He extended his contract again in January 2018, this time until 2022. In August 2019, he played his 500th game for Barcelona.

In October 2020, Piqué signed another contract extension until 2024. In March 2021, he scored a last-minute goal in the 2020–21 Copa del Rey semi-finals. This goal helped Barcelona win the game and reach the final, which they later 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. The Barcelona players wore special shirts for the game with "SEMPR3" (meaning "always" in Catalan, with his number 3) on the front.

International Career

Youth Teams

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 helped in attack too.

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

Playing for Spain's Senior Team

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

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

On 6 February 2009, Piqué was called up to the senior national team. He played his first game on 11 February in a 2–0 win against England. In his second international match, he scored the only goal in Spain's win against Turkey in a World Cup qualifier.

Piqué was a key centre-back for Spain 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. Spain only let in two goals in seven World Cup matches.

Piqué played every minute of Spain's UEFA Euro 2012 campaign. He helped Spain keep five clean sheets (not letting in any goals) and win the final 4–0 against Italy. He was one of three Spanish defenders chosen for UEFA's Team of the Tournament.

At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, Piqué scored a penalty in the semi-final shootout win against Italy. However, in the final against Brazil, he received a red card. Brazil won the match 3–0.

In Spain's first group game of UEFA Euro 2016, Piqué scored his fifth goal for his country. It was a late header that gave Spain a 1–0 victory against the Czech Republic.

In June 2018, Piqué played his 100th international game for Spain in a 1–0 win against Iran.

On 11 August 2018, Piqué announced he was retiring from international football.

In March 2019, Piqué played his 10th game for the Catalonia team in a friendly match.

How He Played

Piqué was a strong and smart 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. He mostly played as a centre-back, but he could also play as a defensive midfielder. 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. 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.

Off the Field

Family and Background

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

From 2011 to 2022, Piqué was in a relationship with Colombian singer Shakira. They met when he was in her music video for "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)". They have two sons together, named Milan and Sasha.

Piqué was also the face of the men's clothing line HE by Mango for several years. 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. This is a company that invests in sports and media. Kosmos 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. He bought the club in December 2018 through Kosmos Holding. In May 2022, FC Andorra was promoted to the Segunda División, which is the second tier of Spanish football. 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 TV rights for the 2021 Copa América football tournament with streamer Ibai Llanos. In 2021, he and Ibai started an esports team called KOI. Piqué is also the president and owner of the Kings League, a new football league in Barcelona.

Helping Others

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

Career Numbers

Club

International

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

Trophies and Awards

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

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

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

Individual

• 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