With a new era about to be ushered in at the Nou Camp, there will be at least one familiar face sticking around.
Star center back Gerard Pique has signed a new contract to stay with Barcelona.
Pique, 27, put pen to paper on a new four-year deal as the Spanish international is a key cog in the Catalan clubs masterplan. He will be part of the Blaugrana for quite some time but the ball-playing center back hasn’t always been with the Spanish giants.
He left Barcelona’s academy as a teenager to sign for Manchester United but with first-team opportunities limited at Old Trafford, Pique returned to Barcelona in 2008 and has racked up 266 appearances whilst winning four La Liga titles, two Champions League crowns and countless other trophies as a defensive lynchpin. With Spain he has also won the 2010 World Cup and European Championships in 2012, so he is no stranger to success. His experience will be key in the upcoming rebuild.
With new manager Luis Enrique arriving this summer, many believe a huge overhaul will take place at Barca as they aim to get back to winning ways after not lifting a single trophy in the 2013-14 season under former boss Gerardo Martino.
Our friends over Soccerly have all the details about Pique’s new deal, as the defender can now concentrate on playing well for Spain at the World Cup this summer (and hanging out with his popstar wife Shakira) before jetting back to Barcelona to help his team climb back to the top of Spanish and European soccer next season.Gerard Piqué, who put pen to paper on his new five-year contract this morning, claimed that Barcelona have everything it takes to rise back to the summit of world football.
“Barcelona have to be at the top, winning trophies and making our presence felt among the elite of European and world football. We have the team and the coach, so we have all the ingredients to get back where we belong”, the defender stated.
Piqué also threw his weight behind the appointment of Luis Enrique as the club’s new coach: “I’m really excited. He showed that he has very clear ideas in his press conference. He knows the club very well and I think he’ll have a big impact”.Follow @JPW_NBCSports