Gerard Pique for president. That’s the sentiment amongst many culers this Monday morning, following the Catalan centre-back’s splendid week of service for Barcelona. First it was revealed that he’d taken a significant pay-cut to enable the club to register Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia, and then he scored the opening goal of the campaign against Real Sociedad at Camp Nou, the first in La Liga of the post-Lionel Messi era.
Hace casi 30 años.. @RonaldKoeman pic.twitter.com/Y0PYFEPN5b
— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) August 15, 2021
Barcelona went on to win the game 4-2 following a late rally from the Basque visitors. Julen Lobete Cienfuegos and Mikel Oyarzabal scored for La Real, while Martin Braithwaite (twice) and Sergi Roberto joined Pique on the scoresheet for the blaugrana. It was a much-needed reminder that, even without the greatest player ever, Barcelona still have a strong and competent team.
Pique continued to make headlines post-game. The 34-year-old hosted a dynamic Twitch session from the home he shares with his wife, Shakira, and his children, featuring several other Barcelona players and renowned streamer Ibai Llanos. He also posted a lovely little video on social media that saw him receive an autograph from (then-Barcelona player, now-Barcelona coach) Ronald Koeman on his fifth birthday.