Departing club great plays his last game at Camp Nou in 2-0 win over Almeria in La Liga
\n BARCELONA
\nGerard Pique played his last game at Camp Nou on Saturday in Barcelona\u2019s 2-0 win over Almeria and told fans he would be back during an emotional speech.
\nThe 35-year-old centre-back, who has won 30 trophies with the club, including three Champions League titles and eight La Ligas, will retire from football after Tuesday\u2019s visit to Osasuna.
\nPique, who was cheered by fans throughout the game after more than 14 years in Barcelona\u2019s first-team squad, enjoyed a lap of honour at the end of the game and was tossed into the air by his team-mates, as over 92,000 fans stayed in Camp Nou to pay homage to him.
\n\u201cThanks to my team-mates, the staff and everyone who helps us to make everything so easy,\u201d Pique said in a speech to the supporters after the game.
\n\u201cTo the board as well, for these years. When you get older, sometimes loving is letting go.
\n\u201cAfter a relationship of such love and passion, I think it was the moment to leave some space, to give some air. I am sure in the future I will be back here again.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a goodbye. I left after 17 years to get some air. My grandfather made me a club member. I was born here and I will die here.\u201d
\nPique, who won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euros with Spain, shed tears during his speech, and also kicked a ball around on the pitch with his children as fans finally departed. He received some individual accolades at a private reception in Camp Nou from president Joan Laporta and the board, before speaking on television again. \u201cYour career is a lot of years, games titles, but what you keep with you are the friendships, the nights, playing in the World Cup, the Euros,\u201d Pique told DAZN.
\n\u201cThe trophies are there, they are a number, they are metal, but what stays with you are the friendships.\u201d
\nThe defender, who has previously said he would like to be Barcelona president in the future, said he would take some time away from the club, but again pointed out a return was inevitable. \u201cI\u2019ve got a thousand things to do, I\u2019ll get organised,\u201d said Pique, who has already moved into sport-related business.
\nHe is a founder and president of Kosmos Holdings which has revamped the Davis Cup in tennis, is involved in lower-league football clubs in Spain and Andorra and has bought some international football TV rights. \u201cThis is my home, at some point I will return. It\u2019s the moment to part ways for a time and come back stronger. I\u2019ll enjoy some time with my family and friends, I\u2019m looking forward to starting my new life. \u201c(Being replaced) was a weight off my shoulders, the last few months have not been easy. I go with the satisfaction that I\u2019ve given everything.
\n\u201cSometimes it goes better, sometimes worse, but I\u2019ve given everything. That makes me proud. I\u2019m leaving calmly, happily, with my homework done.\u201d
\nWhen he was replaced in the final stages of the game, each of his team-mates embraced him on the pitch one by one, as fans chanted his name.
\n\u201cGerard leaves a spectacular legacy, he has turned the club into one of the greatest in the world, he has gone out of his way for the club,\u201d Busquets told DAZN.
\n\u201cHe has made history. He\u2019s an example of what a Barca player is, and what you have to do.\u201d
\nOusmane Dembele and Frenkie de Jong\u2019s strikes earned Barcelona a victory which put them top of the league. Pique\u2019s departure came after a spell in which the defender had been criticised for some of his performances, and had dropped to fifth-choice centre-back. Fans have praised the Catalan defender for leaving, amid a period of generational change for Barcelona, with president Joan Laporta saying Pique\u2019s departure will also save the club money as they look to reach a contract termination deal. Other veteran players, including Busquets, who is out of contract at the end of the season, and Jordi Alba, will follow sooner or later. \u201cIt\u2019s not up to me to have a goodbye like this, I\u2019ve been a Barca fan all my life, I\u2019ve had more or less the same trajectory (as Pique),\u201d said Alba.
\n\u201cI would be happy with what Geri had, that\u2019s for sure. The fans have always respected us and when a player of that quality leaves, they show it. I hope when I go, and may that be as late as possible, that it\u2019s like Geri\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Departing club great plays his last game at Camp Nou in 2-0 win over Almeria in La Liga BARCELONA Gerard Pique played his last game at Camp Nou on Saturday in Barcelona\u2019s 2-0 win over Almeria and told fans he would be back during an emotional speech. The 35-year-old centre-back, who has won 30 trophies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-293662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n