Rebel United: 'Every victory against Real Madrid is symbolic' - How Gerard Pique became a controversial Spanish icon

Although around 90 percent of voters were in favour of independence, the autonomous community in the north-east of the country remained part of Spain because the nation's government did not recognise the result. For Pique, who calls himself not only a proud Catalan but also a Spaniard, this was a bitter outcome.

In the run-up to the referendum, the defensive giant had campaigned intensively to get as many people as possible to vote, increasingly becoming one of the faces of the Catalan independence movement. Pique, however, felt the painful consequences to his reputation immediately after the referendum.

During a public training session for the Spain national team in preparation for a World Cup qualifying match against Albania in early October 2017, the then-Barca star was not only booed by some spectators, but also insulted. 'Pique, get out' was written on one of the signs directed towards the defender, and after only about 20 minutes, the session had to be stopped because the atmosphere became so hostile.

The previous day, Pique had tearfully offered his resignation to Spain coach Julen Lopetegui, who declined it, and the day after the training session was cut short, Pique appeared at a press conference to signal unity while emphasising that he had quickly dismissed thoughts of an early end to his career with La Roja.

"I've been playing for Spain for almost 10 years now. I'm not going to disappear through the back door," said the then-30-year-old while refusing to publicly take a stand on Catalunya's independence: "We footballers are global figures, we can't take sides. In this difficult political situation, dialogue is the only way forward, otherwise things will get even worse. Who cares how I react? I can and am allowed to have my opinion. Many want independence – many don't."

Nevertheless, Pique often found himself caught between two worlds in the national team environment. The tensions between the proud Barca icon and the stars of his counterparts from the Spanish capital ran too deep, and not just because of the well-known club rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

"Every victory against Real Madrid is symbolic," said Pique after a Clasico triumph in March 2019, and it was clear to everyone that he was also referring to the political tensions between the two clubs. He also endured a love-hate relationship with Blancos legend Sergio Ramos, as the pair came together for the national team despite being rivals at club level.

"I defend my colours, Pique defends his. And when we defend the same thing, we do it together. But don't expect me to hug him after a Clasico," Ramos once said of his international team-mate.

Although they obviously never got along particularly well, Pique and Ramos celebrated huge successes togther. They were fixtures in Spain's defence during the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship titles, playing a decisive role in the Iberians' most successful era.

At club level, Pique, who grew up in Barca's famous La Masia academy, left the Blaugrana at the age of 17 to join Manchester United. But after failing to make his big breakthrough at Old Trafford, he returned to Barcelona in 2008 and became a cornerstone of their successful era under Pep Guardiola.

Pique combined resolute tackling, heading ability, outstanding positioning and elegance on the ball, thus setting the style for the ideal Spanish centre-back. However, even around the time of his first major tournament, the 2010 World Cup, he was also making headlines off the pitch.

After all, it was then that he laid the foundation for his long-term relationship with singer Shakira, with whom he has two children. The Colombian singer performed 'Waka Waka', the official song of the tournament in South Africa, and after meeting her during his brief appearance in the accompanying music video, Pique went on the offensive.

"I told her that we had to get to the final so that I could see her again – she performed at the final," the Spaniard later revealed to Mail Online.

Both plans worked out. Spain reached the final, where they crowned themselves world champions with a victory over the Netherlands, and Pique won Shakira's heart. Their relationship lasted 11 years before, in the summer of 2022, the couple announced their separation. Pique is alleged to have cheated on Shakira, and in the months following the break-up, a public mudslinging match took place.

A few months after separating from Shakira, Pique also said goodbye to professional football, ending his career at the end of 2022. He had already retired from the national team following their disappointing exit in the last 16 at the 2018 World Cup, though he did play once more for the Catalan national team, which is not recognised by FIFA, in a 2-1 friendly victory over Venezuela in March 2019.

And as his career reached its autumn, Pique began to become increasingly active outside his life as a professional footballer. With his investment company Kosmos, he revolutionised tennis' Davis Cup, which has been played with a new format since 2019. After disputes with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the project was discontinued in 2023, but Pique continues to have an innovative spirit for the sport.

"Tennis is a spectacular sport, but the statistics show that fewer and fewer people are playing tennis," the former footballer said on a podcast in February. "Tennis will lose fans if no one finds solutions. Why are two serves allowed? If you miss the first serve, it's a point for your opponent. Otherwise, it's 30 more seconds of a guy bouncing the ball on the ground. People don't want to see that. They also don't want to see a five-minute game with deuce, advantage, deuce, advantage. There should be a deciding point at deuce."

Pique showcased a similar drive to disrupt when he launched the Kings League in 2022. A small-field league designed to offer young fans in particular an alternative to traditional football, it has spread from its Spanish roots around the world, with the United States next on the agenda for the rapidly growing competition.

"We thought about how we could make football more entertaining by incorporating elements from other sports such as basketball and water polo. We also wanted to allow more things to happen in order to turn football into a real video game," explained Oriol Querol, the managing director of the Kings League, when asked about how the league came about.

"What we're trying to do here is something like the opposite of real football," Pique himself once said on ZDF-Sportstudio, and in addition to big names from the football world, streaming and social media stars also play an important role in the Kings League, where the entertainment factor is enormous.

Pique is not only a revolutionary, but also continues to be active in traditional football. Since the end of December 2018, he has been the owner of FC Andorra, based in the capital of the small state between France and Spain. The long-term goal, as one would expect from Pique, is ambitious: "One day, the Champions League anthem will be heard in Andorra," he promised just a few months after joining the club.

After all, when Pique arrived, the club was still playing in the fifth tier of Spanish football, but three-and-a-half years later, Andorra were promoted to the second tier. And though they suffered a subsequent relegation, they immediately bounced back and currently occupy a mid-table position in the Segunda Division.

An incident in early October illustrates how much Pique cares about the project. During Andorra's 2-1 home defeat to Leganes, the 38-year-old was clearly quite dissatisfied with the referee's performance. As the official, Saul Ais Reig, noted in his report, Pique sought out the referee's dressing room after the match and ranted: "This is a bloody disgrace! Go ahead and write that in your report if you want."

Pique has always been known for taking a clear stance, and that shows no sign of slowing down in his post-playing career.