A long time ago, journalists at a conference did not care less about the game for which the conference was scheduled. Actually, the clash between Barcelona and Almeria is important, but 99 percent from the aspect that it will be the last game in Gerard Pique’s rich career. And that is why members of the media in Spain decided to turn the address of Barcelona coach Xavi into a one-way street of questions about Pique.”The game will mark the end of Gerard Pique’s career. He deserves all the praise, and I am happy to have been his teammate and coach. Circumstances and unwanted events influenced me to make the decision to leave him out. I went through a similar situation and normally He has a contract and the decision to end it before the end is a gesture that carries weight. He is a legend of the club and deserves to be remembered as such,” Xavi began.##NAJAVA_MECA_6787184##The fact that they played 312 games together, that Pique and Xavi spent 22,359 minutes, i.e. 372 hours on the field, did not influence Xavi to guarantee the stopper a place in the starting line-up on account of old glory and two decades of acquaintance. On the contrary. Since the start of the season, Pique has played quite rarely, and the minutes he got were the result of a large number of injuries in the back line. And then yesterday’s ‘bomb’ in the form of Pique’s announcement that he is ending his career even though he has a valid contract until the summer of 2024.”We talked this summer and I told him what my intentions were. It was one of the most difficult days of my coaching career. He was my partner. It happens to all of us that there comes a time when we feel that we are no longer so useful and it is not easy to accept and bear that with that. My responsibility in all that? I was certainly an important factor in his decision, but for the benefit of the club. I was looking for the best for the club and for the institution. I had to make decisions, sometimes it’s not easy, sometimes it’s uncomfortable to make decisions which affect your former teammates like Alves and Pique. But I will not reveal the conversation we had. It is a private matter. It is sad to see footballers, colleagues, friends saying goodbye to football, nostalgia and sadness arise, but that is life and it happens to all of us. New generations are coming.”La Liga vs Super League: A selfish and elitist model, it is a lie that young people do not watch footballPique retires as the fifth player with the most games in the Barcelona shirt (616 currently). Only the members of the legendary Barça generation who roamed Europe, Lionel Messi, Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta remained ahead.”I don’t know if I was fair or not, but I had to be honest. And Gerard was an example for the team, for the young footballers, an example for the captains, for the coaching staff. I was honest with him and now the circumstances have led to the end stories. He’s earned the right to choose how and when to end his career.”Xavi repeated himself a lot at the conference, constantly talking about the circumstances that led to the end of Pique’s career, but he did not miss the opportunity to emphasize all his football and human virtues.”Courageous, competitive, winner, without complexes and fears. An intelligent player, always maximally dedicated to what he does, he was a good teammate and a good captain. I have nothing to blame him for. It’s nothing personal, purely a football issue.”Xavi: “I was fortunate enough to be Pique’s teammate. Difficult circumstances forced him to retire. I went through a similar situation and it was only natural for me to step down. Geri had a contract, and decided t leave it, which is a great gesture.” pic.twitter.com/H3bk0DYbse— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 4, 2022 Journalists were also interested in whether Pique, in Xavi’s eyes, is the best stopper in the history of Barca.”There’s also Miguel (played from 1973-1988 for Barca) and Puyol. I don’t want to be unfair to anyone, but Pique is certainly one of the best in history. Like Beckenbauer, Baresi, or Rio Ferdinand and Terry.”In 2008, when he returned to Barcelona from Manchester United, Pique made a great first impression on Xavi.”I was surprised by his personality. How he played, how he fit into our game model, what kind of character a 20-21-year-old has… It was completely unusual for his age.”Xavi: “Piqué becoming Barcelona’s president in the future? He can be whatever he wants. He has great leadership qualities.” pic.twitter.com/k7tOmUWKaD— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 4, 2022 Catalan Mundo Deportivo recently wrote about the possibility of Barcelona hiring Athletic Bilbao stopper Inigo Martinez in the summer, whose contract expires in less than eight months. After the departure of Pique, Basque player could be an option for January as well.”Is it a priority for us to bring a left-footed stopper in January. Knowing that Pique is leaving, maybe, but during the World Cup we will have enough time to think and talk. We will meet with Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff and analyze,” Xavi concluded.
