Piqué: 'I never expected to win what I have won'

A dream of a decade. On 13 August ten years ago, Gerard Piqué made his debut for FC Barcelona’s first team. It was in a qualifying round for the Champions League and the blaugranes defeated Wisla Kraków 4-0. The centre back looks back at that game: “It was special, we were playing at the Camp Nou in the first official game of the season. I played for a bit and we won the tie. It went very well and I left the stadium feeling very happy.”

After, Piqué took stock of his decade as a blaugrana: “The assessment of my time here is very, very good. I never expected to win what I have won here, to play as much as I have, or to be as important as I have been over these years. I feel privileged, I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy myself a lot here.” He went on to add: “I know there will be a day when I will have to leave but until that day I want to enjoy this as much as I can.”

"I feel privileged, I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy myself a lot here"

On the subject of his favourite memories, Piqué highlights the Champions Leagues: “The one in Berlin was very special for me, we had had a few difficult months at the start and we ended up winning everything. It was our second treble which meant this group of players had done something nobody could have expected.”

On his teammates, he explains: “Puyol is the most memorable teammate for me. He welcomed me as a brother on the first day, we played in the same position for both Barça and the national team, and we had a good understanding. Even though we were very different types of people we connected well from the off.”

Finally, Piqué concluded: “Playing for Barça is demanding and even more so as a defender. We know the competition is always tough as the best in the world are here and you have to fight for your position.” Before finishing with: “It has been 10 years, and every year I get from now on will be another one for me to enjoy.”