Gerard Pique: Revered husband and unbreachable wall
The defender had one of his finest games for Barca in the 1-0 win over Real Madrid
“It’s true that he’s had some low spells but for us he’s vital, he’s a leader,” said Ernesto Valverde about Gerard Pique. It’s a big claim, but perhaps he had his finest game in the Clasico on Saturday for Barcelona - he’s been at the club for 11 years.
Pep Guardiola bet on his return and the club paid Man United a now ridiculously cheap five million euros for his signature.
It took about a couple of months for Pique to pay that off, turning into one of the best defenders on the planet under Guardiola, a crucial pillar of a winning team.
His performance against Madrid this weekend opens a debate about his best games at the club. It was a great game that left his partner Shakira saying “My husband today, spectacular.”
Pique was a wall in defence and showed the speed and anticipation of a young player too. He was key in helping Sergi Roberto stop Vinicius Junior. He let nothing go.
It is magnificent news for Barca that Pique is at his best as Barca enter the decisive stage of the season.
Not just him though, the whole defence was great at the Bernabeu. Lenglet was solid and made no errors, Sergi Roberto too and Jordi Alba, of course, was brilliant. But Pique was something else.
He intercepted all the shots and all the passes, everything. He was tactically perfect.
