Gerard Pique was sent off from the bench in his final official game as a Barcelona player last night.
Pique had words with the referee at halftime and followed him down the tunnel.
He has been sent off for remonstrating with the officials and won’t make his final appearance for Barcelona… pic.twitter.com/8DUlxySEYn
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 8, 2022
The former United centre half announced his retirement from the game last week, in a shock decision midway through the season.
Pique was shown a red card for remonstrating with officials as they left the field for halftime, a disagreement which over spilled into the locker room and resulted in the referee ending any chance of Pique ending his Barca career on the pitch.
Barca were aggrieved at the red card shown to Robert Lewandowski in the first half of the game, in which they trailed 1-0 at the break.
United’s Europa League playoff opponents rallied in the second half to beat Osasuna by two goals to one, thanks to goals from Pedri and Raphinha.
However, Pique was not able to add to his incredible 616 appearances for his boyhood club, after letting his emotions get the better of him.
Despite last night’s blot, Pique leaves Barcelona as one of the most decorated players of his generation.
A key cog in the wheel that swept all before them for the best part of a decade, Pique’s role in the side regarded as the best club side of all time was undeniable.
Pique left United after their Champions League triumph in 2008, having made 23 appearances for the club.
The centre half went on to achieve unprecedented success at both club and international level.
Pique added three more Champions League trophies to his one for United, eight La Liga titles to his one Premier League, seven Copa del Rey’s and three World Club Cups and Super Cups, at domestic level.
On top of this sit the World Cup and European Championship triumphs for Spain in 2010 and 2012, respectively.
Although United didn’t see the best of Pique, he has often referred to his years in Manchester as the ones that shaped him and he will have all United fans’ well wishes for the next challenge in his career.
