Gerard Piqué announces he is leaving FC Barcelona

Gerard Piqué is bringing his time at FC Barcelona to an end. Barça's legendary centre back has published an emotional video via his social networks that Saturday, 5 November will be his last game in a Barça shirt at the Spotify Camp Nou. A member since birth is leaving the Club.

A culer from birth

2 February 1987 saw the birth of a true Barça man and he was made a Club member that very same day. He played in the FC Barcelona social tournament as a young boy before joining the first youth category at the time, the Under 12Bs, at the age of 10. He then moved up through the  youth levels before deciding to temporarily halt his time at Barça to join Manchester United at the end of the 2003/04 season. While at the Red Devils, Gerard Piqué played the 2006/07 season on loan at Real Zaragoza before returning to help the Manchester club win the Premier League and Champions League double in the 2007/08 season.

The player with fifth highest appearance total in the history of FC Barcelona made his official debut in the jersey on 13 August 2008 in a Champions League game against Wisła Kraków that ended 4-0. This was just the start of his successful career with FC Barcelona, with whom he won 30 trophies. The first came with the wonderful treble in the 2008/09 season and he went on to become one of football's standout defenders.

The seasons rolled by and as one of the rocks in the FC Barcelona team, the La Masia-trained man continued to add to his successful stats. He also became third captain in 2018.

A goalscoring defender

He has always stood out both in defence and attack, definitely a defender with a forward's instinct. Memorable goals like in the 2-6 at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium or strikes that form part of FC Barcelona's history books - he scored Barça's 1000th goal in international competition against Celtic in the Champions League game during the 2013/14 season. 

Two celebrated goals from his 29 as a Barça player. In fact, he is Barça's second highest scoring defender, and the Club's highest scoring defender in the Champions League with 16 goals.

After 615 games - 396 in LaLiga, 126 in the Champions League, 65 in the Copa del Rey, 16 in the Spanish Super Cup, two in the European Super Cup, five in the Europa League and five in the World Club Cup - "all that kid’s dreams have come true". "It is the time to bring this journey to an end. I’ve always said that there will not be any other team after Barca. And that’s how it will be. This Saturday’s game will be my last at Spotify Camp Nou" concluded an emotional and legendary Gerard Piqué.