Gerard Pique has revealed Louis van Gaal once told him he was not “strong enough” to play for Barcelona.
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Pique was emerging through the Blaugrana's youth ranks when he claims that then-first-team boss Van Gaal pushed him to the floor and insisted he would not make the grade at the club.
Speaking to TV3 , Pique said: “You never knew if he would be the first-team coach when you got there. He pushed me, he threw me to the floor. He told me I wasn’t strong enough to be a Barcelona player.
“He destroyed me. At Barcelona we didn’t do gym work until the age of 18. That was really hard.”
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Pique has since gone on to prove Van Gaal's assessment wrong, enjoying a trophy-laden spell with the Catalan giants.
The 29-year-old has made over 300 appearances in all competitions for the club and helped them win several honours including six Liga titles and three Champions League crowns.