FCBARCELONA.CAT

03.07.2008 12:38

Piqué’s soul with Barça

Anna Segura

Gerard Piqué has said in his official presentation that “I am proud to be able to say I am a Barça player” and President Joan Laporta added that “Piqué has Barça in his veins”.

Gerard Piqué oozes Barça, and that showed in his presentation today in Sala París, where he expressed his delight to be back at Barça.

“A dream”

The Barça youth player left for Manchester United when he was 17 but now he’s back at Barcelona. Gerard Piqué said “a dream is coming true today. I am proud and happy to be able to say I am a Barça player … I would like to retire here”.

Only Barça

Txiki Beguiristain said that Piqué’s “desire was always to come back” and that was the real reason for signing him. Gerard Piqué echoed that when he said “my desire to play for this club is unlike that I have for any other”.

Joan Laporta went as far as to say his new player “has Barça in his veins”.

Up to win titles

He may have won the League and Champions League with Manchester United but Piqué said he would be even happier to do the same with Barça: “I am here to win as many titles as I can” he said, before commenting on what was “the eagerness to redirect everything, with a new manager, with the signings being made, because the club want to win titles again”. He also said he was delighted “to come back home and know that I can win a lot of titles in this shirt”.

A club player

Josep Guardiola said that apart from the player’s obvious qualities, the fact he knows the club was also an important factor. “It is a major advantage not just to be such a classy player but also to know so many things about the club” he said.

Naming names

Gerard Piqué already knows some of his future colleagues, such as Gabi Milito and Leo Messi, who he has played with before. The defender said “having played with so many of the players in this team will help me to adapt more quickly”.

He was also asked whether he thought Messi was better than Cristiano Ronaldo, two players he has played in the same team as, but preferred to diplomatically say “I’d go for both … they have different qualities”.