JanguKamaJangu
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- Feb 7, 2022
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Beki huyo wa kati wa Barcelona na timu ya taifa ya Hispania amesema anatarajiwa kucheza mechi yake ya mwisho dhidi ya Almeria, kesho Novemba 5, 2022 kwenye Uwanja wa Nou Camp
Uamuzi huo wa ghafla ameutoa miezi mitano tangu avunje uhusiano na Shakira aliyekuwa mpenzi wake kwa muda mrefu.
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Gerard Pique announces SHOCK retirement from football - just five months after split from Shakira and with Barcelona's fans booing him over pay cut row - as legendary defender prepares to play his emotional last game at Nou Camp on Saturday
Gerard Pique - one of Barcelona and Spain's all-time greats - has announced his shock retirement from football.
This Saturday will be the 35-year-old's final game for his beloved club, the culmination of a legendary career, but also the climax of a chaotic few months during which he endured a high-profile break-up with Shakira and was at loggerheads with his paymasters.
The Spanish defender, who has enjoyed 14 glittering years with Barcelona, will play his last game against Almeria at the Nou Camp.
It will bring the curtain down on one of the great modern careers, with Pique having formed a key part of a number of great Barcelona teams in addition to having won a European Championship and the World Cup with the national side.
The reception he will be given by Barcelona fans will be fascinating. He remains a popular figure with many but was booed by supporters during a Las Vegas friendly against Real Madrid earlier this year after his split with Shakira and again more recently this month, this time for refusing to take a pay cut.
The debt-ridden club are desperate to get rid of aging stars on bloated wage packets, with club vice president Eduard Romeu admitting recently that they are being crippled by those contracts. Romeu said Barcelona had a net debt of €608 million (£534m) as of June.
'What throws us off is the amount we spend on our player salaries,' Romeu said.
'There are a group of (contracts) that have a very important cost and between this season and the next they will disappear.'
In January he furiously shared an image of a payslip after a television pundit had said he was the highest paid player at Barcelona. At the time he tweeted: 'People like this are paid by public television to defend their friends. Here is 50% of my salary as of 30 December. Have a bit of respect for yourself.'
Pique's decision to retire, before LaLiga break for the World Cup, will alleviate some of those financial woes and no doubt that decision will be well received by supporters.
His break-up with Shakira after 11 years of marriage was front page news in Spain five months ago and the pair have two sons, Milan (9) and Sasha (7) together. In September, Shakira told Elle magazine: 'I think that the details are somehow too private to share, at least at this very moment — everything is so raw and new. I can only say that I put everything I had into this relationship and my family.'
While Pique's personal life has been splashed across the front pages in recent months, his success on the pitch has also been on the downturn.
His mistake against Inter Milan in the Champions League was credited by many with being the final nail in the coffin their European campaign.
Source: DailyMail
