Enrique: Pique retirement irreversible

Spain Coach Luis Enrique admits Barcelona defender Gerard Pique’s decision to retire from the national set-up is ‘irreversible’.

The central defender confirmed the decision in recent days, although he had stated as far back as 2017 that he would call it a day on the international scene after the World Cup.

“The decision Gerard has made is irreversible, he was very clear and thorough in his decision,” Enrique told Spanish TV, as cited by Marca.

“It is a shame for us of course because Gerard is a great player, but we must accept and respect his decision and thank him for the years of great service he gave the national team.

“There is no problem for us as it opens the door for another player to come into the team and for someone else to be part of the squad, this is football.

“I have a long list of players to choose from and that is how a Coach wants it.”

The 31-year-old made his debut for Spain in 2009 and went on to represent his country 102 times, winning two European Championships and a World Cup.

However, his last three years with La Roja saw him jeered by sets of fans out of his support for a Catalan independence referendum.

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