Gerard Pique - From Barcelona to Manchester and back to Barce
May 28, 2008
Gerard Pique has linked up with his former club Barcelona after a fruitful if not ideal 4 years at Old Trafford. Pique returns to Barcelona on a four year contract after the clubs agreed a fee believed to be in the region of £6 million.
Pique signed for Manchester United from Barcelona in 2004 and was tipped as one to watch but the impressive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have made it almost impossible for Pique to get a regular starting place. At age 21, Pique is desperate for first team football and that will not be available to him at Old Trafford. Pique is not bitter about the departure though, in an open letter published on manutd.com he said “Obviously I would have liked to play more this season, but I must say that despite some difficult decisions, the manager has always treated me in an exceptional manner, for which I am extremely grateful.” He went on to thank the fans saying he will always carry United in his heart and hoped the fans understood his decision to leave.
Speaking of his time at United, Pique said “As a player you grow a lot, personally and in a footballing sense. In this last aspect you learn a lot just by being surrounded by players of such a high level. With Manchester United we won the Champions League, which is an unforgettable experience and one which I would like to repeat in a Barca shirt.”
Should we have let him go?
There is no doubt Pique has bags of potential and I firmly believe he will go on to be one the best centre backs in the game. That said, it seems a bit of a mistake to offload him especially when it looks like Silvestre may be following him out the door leaving us a bit short in defence. Any injury to Vidic or Ferdinand would surely mean games for Pique. On the other hand, Barcelona is the team he has supported all his life and they are prepared to give him games, how could he turn the opportunity down?
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