"It was a very hard day"
Gerard Piqué reveals that he was under pressure from Sergio Ramos and Lopetegui after the 1-O
The former footballer has agreed to an interview with TV3, in which he has spoken, among other topics, about the Catalan referendum of October 1, 2017
Gerard Piqué has never been a man to mince his words. On the contrary, he has always caused controversy for his statements and his character. He retired from playing football in 2022, but that does not mean that he has changed his way of being and acting. Now he is focused on the business world, managing several projects of notable importance, such as the Kings League and the Davis Cup, and Kosmos, his company.
He gave an interview to the regional television channel TV3. In it, he reviewed the 125 years of history of the club of his loves, FC Barcelona. One of the topics discussed was the independence referendum of October 1, 2017, held in Catalonia. Likewise, the former defender had to play a football match that day, against UD Las Palmas, which was played behind closed doors.
"A match was played that I think should not have been played"
The seventh matchday of the 2017/2018 season saw UD Las Palmas travel to Barcelona. There they faced the Catalans on October 1. By decision of the home team, the match was played behind closed doors. On this, Piqué did not hesitate to give his opinion: "It was a very tough day, in the end a match was played that I think should not have been played, but it is a more personal opinion and the club decided to end up playing."
The match ended in a comfortable 3-0 in favour of Barça, with a goal from Leo Messi and a double from Sergio Busquets. However, for several players, such as Gerard Piqué, the emotional burden of the day took away weight from the victory. After the match, the former footballer went through the mixed zone and answered questions from journalists: "At the end of the match they put the microphone on me in the mixed zone. I got emotional and the next day I went to Madrid to play with the Spanish national team." This is how he described the moment in which he declared it was "his worst experience as a professional."
"Lopetegui and Sergio Ramos told me that I should apologize"
After a difficult day, Gerard headed to Madrid. There he had an appointment in Las Rozas: the call-up to the Spanish National Team. Julen Lopetegui, coach of the national team at that time, had called him for the qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Albania first and then Israel were the rivals of 'La Roja'.
However, upon arriving at the training camp, he had a talk with the coach and Sergio Ramos: "Surprisingly, the mister and the captain took me and told me that I had to apologize." Piqué also assured that Lopetegui reproached him for his position on the cause and that he offered him a written speech with which to apologize. The then defender did not hesitate: he replied that he was only defending freedom and threw the paper in the trash, he said.
That's how the whistles towards the Catalan began, but he has never cared: "It was all whistles, which I also have to tell you that I even liked," the businessman concluded.
