El Flaco
Active member
Piqué's interview with El Mundo
Is the fact that you get into so much trouble worth it?
I never thought about if it’s worth it or not. I’m impulsive, I get carried away and I try to break with the established norms. It seems that we all have to behave in a certain way that is dictated by society and that we can’t step out of these lines. And sometimes I like stepping over them. I do what I feel in every moment and I’m happy behaving like that.
But you end up creating a negative image for yourself in a lot of people.
In the last years, there’s a new type of journalism, the one that has the most repercussions, that talks about everything except for football. Just polemics. There are TV shows that have record ratings and that don’t show a single goal. And people consume that so you can’t say anything…
Your tweets and your jokes contribute to this extra-football noise.
They’re given too much importance. For me, it’s all a game. Having a good time, laughing a bit… But some people take it to heart like it’s about life and death. It seems that I killed someone when all I did was just make some jokes.
Have you thought about stopping, about behaving like a standard football player?
I’ve been doing this for years and every time I do something I know the repercussions it will have. For example, from August to December, when there’s not that much at stake, I get into all kinds of problems. And then I stop. I don’t have the intention to change because I honestly have a good time.
Piqué receives the El Mundo journalists in his office at Kerad Games where he goes three of four times a week, halfway between his house and Barça’s training center. As he didn’t have time to go to college like another student, he got private classes of business management and economy at home from professors from the prestigious ESADE University. And from time to time he organizes lunches with experts in politics, economics, technology, culture… He sits and listens. At least for a few minutes. “Sometimes Gerard is quiet, but when you think that he’s bored he asks a question that not even a masters student would ask. He’s very smart,” says a guy who regularly attends these meetings with him.
“I like being the person who knows the least at the meeting. That way I learn for sure,” explains the footballer. “People give their opinions without knowing and that doesn’t lead anywhere. In these meetings, I’m impressed by how people like Mark Zuckerberg thinks and acts. You think that they’d be super geniuses or super crazy and in the end, they do very easy things, but they do them well, that’s the key.”
Apart from football and video games, Piqué is involved in a premium meat company (Natrus), a restaurant (YOURS), a shoe line and a new sports drink. The night before the interview he stayed up to watch the Super Bowl and in the morning he had training. He gets to the interview hungry. He takes out some fries and an isotonic drink: “Damn, what an image of a sportsperson I give off now, even though in recent times have been the ones when I’ve taken most care of myself in my life.” And he laughs.
Do you feel different inside the dressing room?
In the dressing room, I’m just another one of the guys. It’s true that outside of football I have interests that are not common in the football world. I have other concerns. I do it because I’m passionate about it.
Do you have teammates with whom you can share these other concerns or are you going to confirm the stereotype that in football dressing rooms there’s only talk of women and cars?
That might happen in other dressing rooms, in ours you can hear tak of economy, society and politics (laughs). There are people for everything. With Mascherano I talk about politics, society, business… There’s also the typical footballer who when he hears that we’re talking about economy he gets up and leaves. But that happens outside of football too, I have friends who are interested in some thing and others who aren’t.
Are the ones interested in the ‘outside world’’ a minority or do they just prefer to not get into the trouble that you gladly walk into?
There are more and more players that have things to say. The image of the footballer who only plays and doesn’t care about anything else is false. What happens is that people don’t want to get into trouble and they prefer to be politically correct. And I think that’s perfect.
Is the Spanish sterotype of footballers unfair?
Here we’ve always had the idea of the uneducated footballer, but football has a growing weight in society and it’s in every house. And in the end it will be like in the US, the sportspeople would be respected more. On and off the pitch.
What are you referring to?
On it: chants, signs, insults… And off it you just have to read Twitter. This is what the TV shows I talked about earlier promote. Some years ago in England they became strict in the fight against racism, sexism, homophobia and it was cut out of football… Here we have to improve with that. Giving out small fines doesn’t matter because people pay them and they keep doing the same things. Six-seven year old kids can’t go to stadiums and listen to what they listen in the stands. You see it from the outside and you’re stunned.
You mentioned Twitter insults. Have you blocked a lot of people?
I’ve never blocked anyone, it’s not nice. It’s not just that you don’t share their opinions, it’s that you don’t even want to listen to them. I get that there are people who are against me, it’s part of life. If everyone likes you then something isn’t right.
The various offices in his company bear the names of his favorite stadiums: Wembley, San Siro, Saint Denis, Maracaná and the two biggest ones are named Camp Nou and Bernabéu. In the display in his office, next to his trophies, shirts and other memorabilia there’s a pair of boots that doesn’t belong to him. They’re the ones Cristiano Ronaldo wore for the 2008 Champions League final when they were both at Manchester United.
If in the NBA Kobe Bryant says that he hates the Celtics nothing happens, but here, when you said that as a Barça fan you’re anti-madridista, a lot of people got upset.
I don’t understand why people would be upset by that. Despite everything that’s said, there’s a lot of us that, in order for things to go well for us, wish that they go badly for the other one. Rivalries are like that: both of us can’t do well at the same time. It’s logical.
Yes, but others don’t say it…
Because it’s not politically correct. In this country what sells is saying “I hope things go well for Madrid” or “I hope Atléti does great”. Peace and love. All very nice. But for me that lacks essence. It’s a false kindness that doesn’t go anywhere. I don’t feel that way and I won’t say it. And it’s nice this way. I like to feel passion for a team, and since there’s a rivalry with another team then I want that other team to do badly. This is what a sport is.
But you’re not surprised that people are bothered…
Sometimes I’m surprised by how disproportionate the reactions are to some comments that I see as being logical.
Really?
I know what will happen when I do one of my things, but sometimes I can’t calculate the amount in which this will get out of hand. For example, when I said the Kevin Roldán things I knew that it would generate a strong reaction, but I didn’t imagine it would end up affecting the national team.
You think that’s the reason that you’re whistled when playing for the national team and not for a political reason?
Yes, I’m sure it’s because of a Barça - Madrid thing and not a political one. I’m sure. It’s something that all of the sudden reaches the national team with the whistling and crates an atmosphere that isn’t good fot the team. Every time the mister [Del Bosque] has to answer questions about me… I know him and I know that inside he suffers. And I don’t like that because I care about him a lot. If I would have known that this were to happen I wouldn’t have said it.
Does the whistling affect you when you play?
No. I said that if people whistle the anthem it’s because there’s something behind that, a manifestation from people who are against something. And I understand that people can manifest that way like I understand that they whistle me. And that’s it. It was given a political meaning, but I never defended whistling the anthem. I honestly think it shouldn’t happen. At the Super Bowl and at NBA games I see how the national anthem of the US is respected and that’s how it should be.
What’s your real positioning in respect to the Catalan independence?
I see that through my family. I’m Spanish, my partner is half Lebanese and half Colombian, my sons are Catalan, Spanish, Lebanese and Colombian. We live in such a globalized world that placing yourself in one place or another is a waste of time. I always reference John Lennon: there are no flags. “Imagine there’s no countries…” We all live on a planet where we share a lot of things. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not to look for problems where there are none.
But your support for the referendum was interpreted by many as a sign that you are in favor of the independence.
Being in favor of the referendum has nothing to do with being in favor of the independence. There’s a lot of people that have supported the referendum, in Catalonia and the rest of Spain, and that are opposed to the independence. There’s no problem with that. The problem is that this information is sold in one manner or another depending on which channels show it and people believe what they see.
You were the most used player by Vicente del Bosque in 2015, but there are doubts about you commitment to the national team.
If I play for Spain it’s because I honestly feel that I have to. First, because we have an amazing national team and second because right now I’m Spanish. So I feel like I have to be there and help my teammates.
Piqué is passionate about poker, likes mathematics and he calculates each step he takes. His career is the best example of that. At 17, living with his family and playing for the club he’s always been a fan of, he decided that the offer from Manchester United was better than the one from Barça for his future. Even Arturo Canales, his agent, had doubts: “We got on the plane to England and he was going through a magazine. I wanted to make sure that Gerard was aware of the step he was going to take and I asked him why he was doing it. He showed me the magazine and there was a picture of Old Trafford there. ‘This is why, I want to play here in front of 80.000 people. I want to succeed and this decision will help me.’ He was very clear about it.” Just like he was clear about coming back. After having little playing time at United and a year’s loan at Zaragoza, Piqué was the first one who was surprised when Canales told him that Barça wanted him. Guardiola and new times were coming and with them came this call. He was 21 years old and he had only played 51 professional games in 4 seasons. He was still a project. According to Canales he didn’t care: “We had offers that seemed better a priori and Manchester wanted to renew him, but he told me that he was ready and that he wouldn’t listen to anything else. Ferguson saw that he was so convinced about this that he acted like a gentleman and he put a special price on him, just for Barça (five million Euros) which was half of what he would have asked from other clubs.”
I never thought about if it’s worth it or not. I’m impulsive, I get carried away and I try to break with the established norms. It seems that we all have to behave in a certain way that is dictated by society and that we can’t step out of these lines. And sometimes I like stepping over them. I do what I feel in every moment and I’m happy behaving like that.
But you end up creating a negative image for yourself in a lot of people.
In the last years, there’s a new type of journalism, the one that has the most repercussions, that talks about everything except for football. Just polemics. There are TV shows that have record ratings and that don’t show a single goal. And people consume that so you can’t say anything…
Your tweets and your jokes contribute to this extra-football noise.
They’re given too much importance. For me, it’s all a game. Having a good time, laughing a bit… But some people take it to heart like it’s about life and death. It seems that I killed someone when all I did was just make some jokes.
Have you thought about stopping, about behaving like a standard football player?
I’ve been doing this for years and every time I do something I know the repercussions it will have. For example, from August to December, when there’s not that much at stake, I get into all kinds of problems. And then I stop. I don’t have the intention to change because I honestly have a good time.
Piqué receives the El Mundo journalists in his office at Kerad Games where he goes three of four times a week, halfway between his house and Barça’s training center. As he didn’t have time to go to college like another student, he got private classes of business management and economy at home from professors from the prestigious ESADE University. And from time to time he organizes lunches with experts in politics, economics, technology, culture… He sits and listens. At least for a few minutes. “Sometimes Gerard is quiet, but when you think that he’s bored he asks a question that not even a masters student would ask. He’s very smart,” says a guy who regularly attends these meetings with him.
“I like being the person who knows the least at the meeting. That way I learn for sure,” explains the footballer. “People give their opinions without knowing and that doesn’t lead anywhere. In these meetings, I’m impressed by how people like Mark Zuckerberg thinks and acts. You think that they’d be super geniuses or super crazy and in the end, they do very easy things, but they do them well, that’s the key.”
Apart from football and video games, Piqué is involved in a premium meat company (Natrus), a restaurant (YOURS), a shoe line and a new sports drink. The night before the interview he stayed up to watch the Super Bowl and in the morning he had training. He gets to the interview hungry. He takes out some fries and an isotonic drink: “Damn, what an image of a sportsperson I give off now, even though in recent times have been the ones when I’ve taken most care of myself in my life.” And he laughs.
Do you feel different inside the dressing room?
In the dressing room, I’m just another one of the guys. It’s true that outside of football I have interests that are not common in the football world. I have other concerns. I do it because I’m passionate about it.
Do you have teammates with whom you can share these other concerns or are you going to confirm the stereotype that in football dressing rooms there’s only talk of women and cars?
That might happen in other dressing rooms, in ours you can hear tak of economy, society and politics (laughs). There are people for everything. With Mascherano I talk about politics, society, business… There’s also the typical footballer who when he hears that we’re talking about economy he gets up and leaves. But that happens outside of football too, I have friends who are interested in some thing and others who aren’t.
Are the ones interested in the ‘outside world’’ a minority or do they just prefer to not get into the trouble that you gladly walk into?
There are more and more players that have things to say. The image of the footballer who only plays and doesn’t care about anything else is false. What happens is that people don’t want to get into trouble and they prefer to be politically correct. And I think that’s perfect.
Is the Spanish sterotype of footballers unfair?
Here we’ve always had the idea of the uneducated footballer, but football has a growing weight in society and it’s in every house. And in the end it will be like in the US, the sportspeople would be respected more. On and off the pitch.
What are you referring to?
On it: chants, signs, insults… And off it you just have to read Twitter. This is what the TV shows I talked about earlier promote. Some years ago in England they became strict in the fight against racism, sexism, homophobia and it was cut out of football… Here we have to improve with that. Giving out small fines doesn’t matter because people pay them and they keep doing the same things. Six-seven year old kids can’t go to stadiums and listen to what they listen in the stands. You see it from the outside and you’re stunned.
You mentioned Twitter insults. Have you blocked a lot of people?
I’ve never blocked anyone, it’s not nice. It’s not just that you don’t share their opinions, it’s that you don’t even want to listen to them. I get that there are people who are against me, it’s part of life. If everyone likes you then something isn’t right.
The various offices in his company bear the names of his favorite stadiums: Wembley, San Siro, Saint Denis, Maracaná and the two biggest ones are named Camp Nou and Bernabéu. In the display in his office, next to his trophies, shirts and other memorabilia there’s a pair of boots that doesn’t belong to him. They’re the ones Cristiano Ronaldo wore for the 2008 Champions League final when they were both at Manchester United.
If in the NBA Kobe Bryant says that he hates the Celtics nothing happens, but here, when you said that as a Barça fan you’re anti-madridista, a lot of people got upset.
I don’t understand why people would be upset by that. Despite everything that’s said, there’s a lot of us that, in order for things to go well for us, wish that they go badly for the other one. Rivalries are like that: both of us can’t do well at the same time. It’s logical.
Yes, but others don’t say it…
Because it’s not politically correct. In this country what sells is saying “I hope things go well for Madrid” or “I hope Atléti does great”. Peace and love. All very nice. But for me that lacks essence. It’s a false kindness that doesn’t go anywhere. I don’t feel that way and I won’t say it. And it’s nice this way. I like to feel passion for a team, and since there’s a rivalry with another team then I want that other team to do badly. This is what a sport is.
But you’re not surprised that people are bothered…
Sometimes I’m surprised by how disproportionate the reactions are to some comments that I see as being logical.
Really?
I know what will happen when I do one of my things, but sometimes I can’t calculate the amount in which this will get out of hand. For example, when I said the Kevin Roldán things I knew that it would generate a strong reaction, but I didn’t imagine it would end up affecting the national team.
You think that’s the reason that you’re whistled when playing for the national team and not for a political reason?
Yes, I’m sure it’s because of a Barça - Madrid thing and not a political one. I’m sure. It’s something that all of the sudden reaches the national team with the whistling and crates an atmosphere that isn’t good fot the team. Every time the mister [Del Bosque] has to answer questions about me… I know him and I know that inside he suffers. And I don’t like that because I care about him a lot. If I would have known that this were to happen I wouldn’t have said it.
Does the whistling affect you when you play?
No. I said that if people whistle the anthem it’s because there’s something behind that, a manifestation from people who are against something. And I understand that people can manifest that way like I understand that they whistle me. And that’s it. It was given a political meaning, but I never defended whistling the anthem. I honestly think it shouldn’t happen. At the Super Bowl and at NBA games I see how the national anthem of the US is respected and that’s how it should be.
What’s your real positioning in respect to the Catalan independence?
I see that through my family. I’m Spanish, my partner is half Lebanese and half Colombian, my sons are Catalan, Spanish, Lebanese and Colombian. We live in such a globalized world that placing yourself in one place or another is a waste of time. I always reference John Lennon: there are no flags. “Imagine there’s no countries…” We all live on a planet where we share a lot of things. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not to look for problems where there are none.
But your support for the referendum was interpreted by many as a sign that you are in favor of the independence.
Being in favor of the referendum has nothing to do with being in favor of the independence. There’s a lot of people that have supported the referendum, in Catalonia and the rest of Spain, and that are opposed to the independence. There’s no problem with that. The problem is that this information is sold in one manner or another depending on which channels show it and people believe what they see.
You were the most used player by Vicente del Bosque in 2015, but there are doubts about you commitment to the national team.
If I play for Spain it’s because I honestly feel that I have to. First, because we have an amazing national team and second because right now I’m Spanish. So I feel like I have to be there and help my teammates.
Piqué is passionate about poker, likes mathematics and he calculates each step he takes. His career is the best example of that. At 17, living with his family and playing for the club he’s always been a fan of, he decided that the offer from Manchester United was better than the one from Barça for his future. Even Arturo Canales, his agent, had doubts: “We got on the plane to England and he was going through a magazine. I wanted to make sure that Gerard was aware of the step he was going to take and I asked him why he was doing it. He showed me the magazine and there was a picture of Old Trafford there. ‘This is why, I want to play here in front of 80.000 people. I want to succeed and this decision will help me.’ He was very clear about it.” Just like he was clear about coming back. After having little playing time at United and a year’s loan at Zaragoza, Piqué was the first one who was surprised when Canales told him that Barça wanted him. Guardiola and new times were coming and with them came this call. He was 21 years old and he had only played 51 professional games in 4 seasons. He was still a project. According to Canales he didn’t care: “We had offers that seemed better a priori and Manchester wanted to renew him, but he told me that he was ready and that he wouldn’t listen to anything else. Ferguson saw that he was so convinced about this that he acted like a gentleman and he put a special price on him, just for Barça (five million Euros) which was half of what he would have asked from other clubs.”
