Barcelona: It’s not even been a week, Gerard Pique agreed to a substantial pay cut to help his boyhood club Barcelona register new signings Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Ray Manaj. Pique’s noble gesture earned him respect from the fans with some even calling him ‘El Presidente’ meaning ‘President’ in Spanish.
While it seems a little odd, but if thought deeper it actually makes sense. Piqué has always been quite a goof, taking up on social media wars, taking home the nets every final his team won and not to forget his celebrations triggering the arch-rivals.
But, with time Piqué has matured enough to stand by the club when it’s going through a tough phase. The love that he has for Barcelona is beyond measures and his gestures over the time has depicted that.
Piqué was the main pioneer behind the sponsorship deal by Rakuten after Qatar Airways left. That is probably one of the biggest stunts ever pulled by a player. The Spaniard was even vocal about the Catalonian saga. His confidence and standing up for what he believed is one of the major reasons to grant him an honour to lead a club like Barcelona.
The dismissal of Josep Maria Bartomeu, who allegedly put Barcelona into shambles, would have not been possible if Piqué hadn’t taken the initiative in making his teammates speak their discontent publicly.
With the club in dire straits financially, Piqué realised he had to stand up like never, accepting a substantial pay cut which he didn’t have to, and also influenced others like Sergio Roberto, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in following the suit as well.
If the aforementioned points are not convincing enough, let me paint you a future. 10 years down the line, Piqué will return as the president, with Xavi as head coach. Puyol, Messi, Iniesta and Jordi Alba will also make their way into the club as a few of the eminent board members.
