Gerard Pique

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with fans

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barca vs sevilla

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trining session

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ty so much!!!!!!!

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pique's cousin Monseratt 18 b-day party !!!!

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THE KING !!!!!!

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Here are some excerpts from the article on Gerard Piqué that appeared in this Sunday’s El Mundo Magazine. It appears that they went through his autobiography Viaje de ida y vuelta, found some anecdotes, and got his opinion on them, as well as on the upcoming game between Barcelona and Madrid. So, here are the parts about his life and the national team.

Blanes, Aug. 2, 1988. The ball escaped from his hands and headed towards the terrace. The 17-month-old baby ran after the ball. His grandmother was watching the pot on the stove. There was work being done on the house, and some of the railings weren’t in place. And the baby, in his chase after the ball, fell into space, hitting his head against the ramp of the garage. An ambulance was called, people cried and the child was in a coma for several hours. But after 24 hours, he woke up.

- My grandmother was the one that was most frightened, because she was the one taking care of me at that moment. But she’s gotten past it, thanks to God. Imagine if something had happened to me! There weren’t any negative consequences from the incident. We’ve talked about it at home several times, but I don’t remember it at all. I always asked about it because I’m curious as to what happened that day…

Gerard began playing in his cole, La Salle, in the neighborhood where his grandparents lived, Bonanova. He was always the tallest one in the classroom. And the blondest. At the age of seven, his father signed him up for the Torneo Social which was played on several fields adjoining those of Barça, and in which the teams have the names of Catalan rivers. Geri played for Team Anoia with a lilac shirt and shorts.

- I remember things from the age of five on, such as the World Cup in the U.S. and the Olympic Games in Barcelona. We also watched the final in Wembley at home. From school, I remember my great friend Pedret.

Cristiano Ronaldo was one of his biggest supports during his time in England.

- I get along very well with him. We talked a lot. He already liked Spain a lot back then, and he was always interested in news about Madrid, Barcelona, how the Liga was going. Three years ago we were in Manchester and tomorrow we’re playing the derby.

Piqué’s also become a fixture on the Spanish national team.

- There’s no debate over who I will play with, Spain or Cataluña, because at the moment only Spain is officialized.

And of course, the derby is being played one day after Cataluña’s elections.

- I hope we’ll be able to minimize the effect of the crisis as much as possible, to put the brakes on it and begin to grow. Here, you live very well. You have to continue to make sure people are comfortable, that they don’t feel defenseless.

Geri collaborates with several charitable organizations, including Talita, Ánima, Unicef and Barcelona’s foundation.

His cousin Montse has Down’s Syndrome. His goal in the Bernabéu in 2009 was dedicated to her: as soon as the ball entered the net, he started running and then pulled at the corner of his eyes so that they became slanted (i.e. Chinese eyes – se achinó los ojos).

- I did it for her. She likes it a lot and she laughs every time she sees me do that, because I always do this gesture when we see each other [not cool, Piqué, not cool at all.]

- those who have Down’s Syndrome are full of this mixture of innocence, tenderness and naughtiness. I know Vicente [del Bosque]‘s son and he’s a real crack. They never see any problems and they’re always with you in the best and worse moments. My cousin Montse has always been a lesson of life for me, seeing how happy she is.

One. Salary. He has a contract until June 2015 and his buyout clause is €200 million. His salary is around €3 million a year.

Two. Trophies. At the age of 23, he’s won 11 club titles, in addition to a World Cup with the Spanish national team. He’s the youngest player in history to achieve this.

Three. Marketability. He’s the image of watch brand Time Force and Príncipe Double Choc cookies. He also has a long-term contract with Nike.

Four. Career. He played with Manchester United, but his goal was always to triumph in the club where he grew up, FC Barcelona.

Five. Fashion. He’s done some photo shoots with complete ease. Pepe Reina called him “the dandy of the national team.”

Six. Hobbies. He loves El Canto del Loco and Dani Martín, in addition to Rihanna. He vacations in Ibiza and Cambrills (Tarragona).

Seven. Personal life. He maintains his friendships from his childhood and his girlfriend is Núria Tomas. He laughs when asked about his alleged affair with Shakira.

Eight. Facebook. He created his profile on the social network a few months ago and now has half a million friends. He usually posts and uploads photos almost daily.

unamadridista

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Few players will complete a more successful year than FC Barcelona's Gerard Piqué managed in 2010, as the Liga champions' centre-back consolidated his reputation in Spain's triumphant FIFA World Cup campaign. The 23-year-old told UEFA.com about the highlights of a career that has already encompassed so much.

UEFA.com: You're so young yet have already won almost all there is to win in football. What drives you to win more?

Gerard Piqué: The most important thing is desire. I enjoy what I do and I'm surrounded by fantastic team-mates and the best players in the world in the place I call home. There are still so many things left for me to do in football – I have never competed in, let alone won, a UEFA European Championship with Spain.

UEFA.com: What did you learn from your time at Manchester United and why did you leave for the Premier League at such a young age?

Piqué: That was a marvellous experience that helped me learn and improve year by year. I was very fortunate to be able to combine the values of English football with those I learned at La Masia. England helped in terms developing my abilities. I trained under Sir Alex Ferguson in what were fantastic years, though I admit it was very difficult to adapt to a new life after Barcelona.

I went because I knew it would be an opportunity that would push me on my way. "United helped me learn how to compete but I always knew one day I wanted to return to Barça".

UEFA.com: What do you think are the reasons behind Barcelona's success in producing young talent?

Piqué: I believe that a defined style and continuity with the young players coming through the ranks is important. Believing in the work you are doing from the youth teams up to the senior side and always knowing what's at stake – that's important. The values Barcelona offer their young players have helped generate a specific style of play – I think that no other club in the world has this.

UEFA.com: What are your first footballing memories?

Piqué: I remember my grandfather, Amador Bernabéu, giving me my first ball. That stands out, as do the first tournaments I played in alongside team-mates like Cesc Fàbregas when we were involved with the Barcelona youth teams. I used to look up to [former Spain and Real Madrid CF defender] Fernando Hierro as a boy – he was such a great player and a fine leader.

UEFA.com: You train every day with Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi. Which of the three do you think will win the FIFA Ballon d'Or?

Piqué: I would say Messi as he's the best player in the world but if I could divide the prize between the three of them I would. "As a footballer Messi has everything but Xavi and Iniesta are the best I have seen playing the game with the ball at their feet".

UEFA.com: Watching Barcelona, at times it seems you could all play with your eyes closed. How do you generate that kind of confidence?

Piqué: With work, discipline, determination and having a great coach like Josep Guardiola who urges us never to let our guard down. We approach every day as if we are in competition. In reality there is no great secret – hard work and having a coach who was educated in-house helps a lot.

UEFA.com: Do you believe this Barcelona team are one of the best in history?

Piqué: We're pretty good and we've had a couple of decent seasons. What you can't forget is that in the history of the game there have been some unbelievable teams so we have a way to go before reaching those levels. When the years begin to pass and we do a calculation of exactly what we've achieved then we can begin to draw comparisons.

UEFA.com: What memories do you have of last summer's FIFA World Cup?

Piqué: I have thousands of memories about the tournament – I had a chance to score against Switzerland, the doubts after we lost that game, Andrés Iniesta's goal in the final ... it was all unforgettable.

UEFA.com: Do you think that 2010 will be seen as the best year of your career or is there better to come?

Piqué: I really don't know. Every season new challenges arise, with different reasons to feel motivated. We still have so much left to do and I'm a young man. "I'm the type of person who wants to believe that the best is yet to come".

[Simao2008]