There is no question that Piqué’s arrival had beneficial effects on and off the pitch. Xavi said: “ Since
Gerard’s arrival, everyone is much more laid-back. He’s young and his character has fitted brilliantly
into this group because he’s full of the joys of life. When he first arrived it was obvious that he wanted
to have a good time, but that’s not what football’s all about.
“ You can have a laugh, but at the end of the day it’s a job of work, we are under tremendous
pressure and Piqué had to adapt to that. To a certain extent it was the captains, Valdés, Puyol and I,
who taught him about that – but he learned quickly and he learned a lot.
“ However, Piqué and Puyol are really close friends who work brilliantly together on the pitch. Off
the pitch, Puyol has changed completely. He’s so much more relaxed now. Piqué is the chief joker in
the squad. He is behind every prank, whether it involves mobile phones, team-mates’ shoes or
clothes.”
