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| countryofbirth = [[Spain]] |
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| height = {{convert|1.92|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |
| height = {{convert|1.92|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |
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| position = [[Defender (association football)#Centre back|Centre |
| position = [[Defender (association football)#Centre back|Centre Back]] |
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| currentclub = [[FC Barcelona]] |
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Revision as of 13:54, 25 January 2009
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gerard Piqué Bernabeu | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre Back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | FC Barcelona | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:01, 24 January 2009 (UTC) | |||
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu (born 2 February 1987 in Barcelona) is a Spanish footballer playing for Spanish club Barcelona, mainly as a centre back.
Club career
Early career
Piqué started his career in Barcelona's youth teams, but before he signed his first professional contract with the club, he decided to join Manchester United. The Premier League side did not pay a fee for Piqué as he was too young to have a professional contract.
Manchester United
Piqué made his debut for Manchester United in October 2004, as a late replacement for John O'Shea in a 3-0 League Cup victory at Crewe Alexandra.[1] He made his full debut on 29 March 2006 against West Ham United, in a Premier League game at Old Trafford playing at right back as Gary Neville was unavailable through injury.
His performances, most notably in the reserve team, earned him a new contract, which he signed in February 2005 to run until the summer of 2009. On 4 August 2006, however, Spanish Primera División side Real Zaragoza secured Piqué on a season-long loan. The conditions of the loan involved Piqué having to feature in at least 20 games for the Aragonese outfit,[2] which he did, as he made 22 first team appearances in a successful spell alongside Argentine Gabriel Milito (who would sign with Barça for 2007-08), either as a stopper or a holding midfielder.
On 5 May 2007, it was announced that Piqué would be staying at Old Trafford for the following season. Sir Alex Ferguson had intended to assess Pique's form on 6 May 2007 at La Romareda, prior to a meeting where the two parties would discuss Pique's future prospects with the club. However, Ferguson was unable to appear on account of airline difficulties.[3]
Piqué's return to Old Trafford saw him make nine league appearances during the 2007–08 season. He scored on his first start in the Champions League, a 4-0 home win against Dynamo Kyiv on 7 November 2007, as Piqué scored the first of Manchester United's four goals in that match. In doing so, he became the 450th player to score at least one goal for the club.[4] His second goal for the club also came in the Champions League, in an away match to Roma, on 12 December.
Barcelona return
On 27 May 2008, Piqué signed a four-year contract with Barcelona with a €50 million buy-out clause.[5] Barcelona paid an undisclosed fee for the player, rumoured to be around £7 million.[6] He expressed his joy at re-signing with his boyhood club, although he admitted he had enjoyed his spell at Manchester United; "I am very happy to be back, I didn't think I would be here again but this is very good for me. Manchester is a great club and I enjoyed winning things. To play with world class players has helped me and now I want to continue this at Barça".
International career
Piqué was a member of the Spanish under-19 side that won the European Championship in Poland. In a 2-1 final win against Scotland, Piqué put in a strong performance in defence, hitting the crossbar with a header, and also providing his team's second goal for striker Alberto Bueno.
Subsequently, he played in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, starting all six of Spain's matches and scoring a goal in the team's come-from-behind 4-2 victory over Brazil in the round of 16.[7] However, Piqué missed the deciding penalty against the Czech Republic and Spain were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.
Personal life
Piqué's maternal surname is Bernabéu, which has led to some confusion regarding his origins; he shares this name with the former Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabéu, after whom the club's home stadium is named. In fact, the name Bernabéu is of Catalan origin and well spread in Barcelona. Piqué (another typical Catalan surname) is a grandson of the celebrated former vice-president of FC Barcelona, Amador Bernabéu.
Piqué is in a relationship with 21-year old model turned Bollywood actress and Miss Universe UK 2008 Lisa Lazarus. She represented United Kingdom at the Miss Universe 2008 final in Vietnam on 14 July 2008.[8]
Honours
Manchester United
- Premier League: 2007–08 (special dispensation)[9]
- UEFA Champions League: 2007-08
Spain
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other[10] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester United | 2004–05 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Real Zaragoza (loan) | 2006–07 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| Manchester United | 2007–08 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| Total | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 2 | |
| Barcelona | 2008–09 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Total | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 46 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 6 | |
Statistics accurate as of match played 21 January 2009[11]
References
- ^ "Crewe 0-3 Man Utd". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
- ^ "Zaragoza's Pique: My future is with Man Utd". ontheminute.com. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
- ^ Hibbs, Ben (5 April 2005). "Pique set for OT return". ManUtd.com. Manchester United. Retrieved 18 May 2008.
- ^ "All Goalscorers In All Competitive Matches". StretfordEnd.co.uk. 2007. p. 5. Retrieved 8 November 2007.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Piqué comes back home
- ^ Man Utd defender Piqué to join Barcelona
- ^ "Spain-Brazil Match Report". fifa.com. Retrieved 2008-04-02.
- ^ Miss UK's sexy pageant plea
- ^ "Bumper Go Figure: Season In Numbers". Football365.com. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
- ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup
- ^ "Statistics 2008-09 - Gerard Piqué Bernabeu". FCBarcelona.cat. FC Barcelona. Retrieved 24 January 2009.