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Gerard Pique at an event at Doha Stadium. Picture By Vinod Divakaran –

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Gerard Pique

Football has been one of the most enticing, loved, and entertaining sports games in the whole of the world. Soccer players have become famous, generating income as well as winning trophies.

Gerard Pique is one of the most famous footballers in the world. Born on February 02, 1987, in Barcelona, Spain, Gerard is a Spanish footballer who plays for Barcelona and Spain national teams.

He started his professional football career with Manchester United in 2004. He is considered one of the best defenders of his generation.

Let us look at some of the amazing facts about Gerard Pique;

1. Pique is one of three players to win successive Champions League with different teams

Today he鈥檚 an icon at Barcelona, his childhood club. But it鈥檚 easy to forget that he hasn鈥檛 spent his entire career at the Camp Nou. After coming through the ranks at the club鈥檚 famed La Masia academy he joined Manchester United in 2004 aged just 17.

There he won the Champions League in 2008 before moving back to Barcelona that summer and winning it again in 2009, becoming only the third player in history to do so after Marcel Desailly and Paulo Sousa.

Since then he鈥檚 added two more Champions League titles (2011, 2015), taking his tally to four.

2.  Gerard Has Bernabeu in his surname

The Bernabeu is a name synonymous with Real Madrid, thanks to their legendary president, Santiago Bernabeu. Such was the influence of Bernabeu in the Blancos鈥� history that their home stadium is named after him.

However, when you see the very name being one of Gerard Pique鈥檚 last names, it is sure to surprise you because the man is basically a Madrid-hating Catalan.

The name comes from his mother鈥檚 side, who is the daughter of former Barcelona president, Amador Bernabeu. So now we know: the Bernabeus have ruled the big two of Spain.

3. He has known Lionel Messi for over 20 years

Gerard Pique and star Lionel Messi in Barcelona. By Shai Pal –

Piqu茅 and Lionel Messi have been two stalwarts of the Barcelona senior side since the player returned from Manchester United in 2008, but their relationship goes back even further than that, as far back as the turn of the century.

Both born in 1987, they came through the ranks at La Masia in the same age group, along with Cesc Fabregas, dominating youth football in the region in the early 2000s.

4. Pique is a businessman

In addition to being one of the best center-backs in world football, Piqu茅 also has several other interests keeping him occupied.

He is the president of sports investment group Kosmos Holding, has been integral in the restructuring of the world-famous tennis tournament Davis Cup, and is the owner of the third-tier side FC Andorra.

5. Pique shares their birthday with his partner Shakira

Famous singer Shakira, wife to Pique. By Marcello Casal.

Together since they met at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa 鈥� where Gerard was part of Spain鈥檚 winning team and the Colombian the voice of the tournament鈥檚 official song 鈥� the two are ten years apart but share the same birthday, February 2nd.

However, the current reports claim the two lovebirds might have divorced due to some unfaithfulness in their marriage.

6. Pique was once in a coma in his childhood

The signs of a great footballer can be seen from a very early age and it is not different with Gerard Pique either. The moment he could walk properly, he was already kicking the football. Such was his love for the game that it almost cost him his dear life. 

As a 17-month-old, the Barcelona defender was playing on the terrace of his grandparents鈥� home. You may have already guessed what happened next. While playing, the ball went over the terrace and the chasing Gerard Pique also fell with it.

The former Manchester United defender had to be hospitalized immediately as he was in a coma. Thankfully, Barcelona number 3 woke up from his elongated somnolence after 2 days, much to the joy of his relatives.

7. Pique contributes to charity work

In fact, the couple dedicated the baby shower to UNICEF and Pique urged his fans to buy thank-you to raise funds for the vaccination of children around the world.

8. Gerald considers Fernando Hierro as his idol

Formal Spanish Footballer Fernando Hierro. By Adolfobrigido

Being a center-back, this might not sound like the most astonishing fact about the Catalan defender. However, considering the fact that he has grown up despising the Galacticos, it makes it a tad bit surprising to find the name of a Real Madrid legend in his icons鈥� list.

But think about it, it makes sense. Hierro was a world-class center-half in his day, a point of reference for any aspiring defender. He was also a classy gentleman that was respected by even rival fans, which is perhaps why Pique idolized him.

Finally, it also seems like Pique channeled his goal-scoring instincts by dissecting the former Real Madrid captain, who, to this day, remains the club鈥檚 best-ever goal-scoring defender with 127 goals in 14 years.

9. He nicknamed Piquenbauer

After his arrival to Barcelona, Gerard Pique鈥檚 rise under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola was lauded by many fans and pundits alike. Such was his development that the media started likening him to the legendary Franz Beckenbauer.

The comparisons led to fans giving the Catalan a new nickname: Piquenbauer. When asked about the parallels drawn to him, the legendary German said that he is 鈥渉onored鈥� that the Spaniard was linked to him.

He then went on to sing laurels about the former Manchester United defender, claiming that he is more than just a defender. He also said that the club of his life, Bayern Munich, would benefit a lot from his services.

10. He loves Lady Gaga and U2

Lady Gaga after performing the National Anthem at Super Bowl 50. By www.flickr.com

Well, obviously, almost everyone in this world listens to music of some sort. It is also a well-accepted consensus that everybody has their own musical preferences. And Gerard Pique -another human being like us -has his own, too.

Given that Shakira is his other half, one would expect him to be a fan of his beloved, which he definitely is. However, he also has other music choices; some of which include Lady Gaga, U2, and Rihanna.

His playlist is filled with their songs and he uses them as a way of relaxing before and after games.