Former Barcelona captain, Gerard Pique has explained the reasons he dumped football at the age of 35.
The Spaniard said it was the right time to ‘give space’ to Barcelona.
Pique addressed the club’s supporters during his emotional farewell speech at Camp Nou on Saturday evening.
The central defender had on Thursday announced his surprising retirement from his football career.
He played his final game for the Catalan giants on Saturday in their 2-0 win over Almeria at Camp Nou.
Pique said, “It’s been a relationship of a lot of love and passion to play for Barca. I think this was the time to give some space to one another.
“I think it was time to part ways and I’m convinced that in the future I will come back here.”
Pique helped Barcelona win 15 trophies, including eight La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues.
Many would have thought that the veteran defender would be in the Spain squad for the November 2022 World Cup in Qatar.