Luis Enrique confirms Gerard Pique WAS on Spain World Cup shortlist
The defender was not needed in the end but Lucho was considering him
Gerard Pique was on the 55-man shortlist to be part of Spain's World Cup squad, Luis Enrique confirmed at the squad announcement on Friday.
Pique, 35, retired after the shortlist was named and would not have been included in the final 26-man squad presumably, but he was in the Spain coach's thinking.
"Yes, Gerard was on the pre-list," Luis Enrique said. "He is one of the most important centre-backs in Spain of all time and I put him on the list not as one of the first options, but as a possibility if anyone dropped out."
Explaining his decision, Luis Enrique added: "Pique is a competitive beast, a great player. Last season, he ended up playing injured and producing excellent performances like always. That is why he was on the list.
"For me, his a great centre-back. Another thing is the situation with his club, but I can't control that. He is a top-level centre-back. I ended up going for continuity, though, which is why I picked others in the end."
