Gerard Pique has claimed that Barcelona and Real Madrid would have “no chance” of winning the Premier League in their first season.
Pique was speaking to the Daily Telegraph in aid of Spain’s friendly against England on Sunday, and he believes his club side would initially need to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League, in the same way that their English equivalents would struggle in La Liga.
“I think that if Barcelona or Real Madrid goes to the Premier League then the first year of playing there, there is no chance of winning it,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“Yes, I think so, because if you go to Stoke, or other types of teams, then it will be really tough. It’s a debate – we could spend hours on it.
“If Manchester United or Chelsea go to Spain then the same. No chance to win the League.
“[On the ‘MSN’], it’s a challenge for you every day. It’s an opportunity to grow up as a player because every day you have to try to defend against them.
“The key of these three is the relationship that they have. You can see that on the pitch. It’s magnificent.
“For example, when one is scoring a lot and the other is not scoring – Neymar, the other day, he gave the penalty to Luis Suarez. When you see this kind of attitude, it means a lot.
“The only problem when you have players of this magnitude is the ego. Suarez was the main star in Liverpool, Leo before we had Suarez and Neymar; it was just him.
“And how they connect – they do not have any ego and this is the most important part.
“And they are different. Neymar is the best one-on-one. He is unstoppable. You have Leo Messi who is the most complete player in the world – he can attack, defend, he can head the ball even though he is small.
“And then you have Luis Suarez and his first touch in the box is fantastic.
“It’s really easy to win titles when you have team-mates like Messi. Well, not really easy but easier than if you have another kind of player.
“To have Messi, Neymar and Suarez up-front. It is the best in the world.
“[On playing for Barca], it means everything. It’s true that I was happy in Manchester even though I didn’t play as much as I wanted to.
“But the day I finally signed for Barcelona and I came back it was ‘wow, the dream comes true’.
“After this we won a lot of titles and other dreams come true but the main one was playing for the club that I had supported all my life.
“It’s not something I can explain with words. Imagine – since I was five years old I had gone every week to the stadium, following this team.
“I remember everything – all the teams every year; all the players. From one day to the other you are supporting the team and then you are inside the dressing room with the players.
“We know how to play this game in the way that Barcelona is playing right now because we have learnt it.
“And at the same time we know how much it means to the Barcelona fans. The slogan is ‘more than a club’ and we know that it’s not just about winning. It’s about how you win, the manner of the win.”
