Gerard Pique Reveals He Almost Quit Football After 2014 World Cup

Barcelona star defender Gerard Pique has denied that OK Diario, the "puppet publication" of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, forced him to set a date on his international retirement and has revealed issues with motivation following the 2014 FIFA World Cup almost made him quit the game.

Pique will walk away from international football after the 2018 World Cup, announcing his decision earlier this month following a controversy over his shirt sleeves; he was incorrectly accused of cutting the Spanish flag off the jersey, per BBC Sport.

The centre-back suggested on Tuesday that the decision was ultimately his alone despite criticism from elsewhere.

"I have read that Twitter, Marca or AS made me leave the Spanish national team or that Florentino [Perez]'s puppet publication OK Diario forced me out, but that is not the case," he said, per Xavi Hernandez of Marca. "It is a decision that I have taken for when I will be 31-years-old, and I think it is the best option."

After winning the World Cup in 2010, La Roja were eliminated in the group stages four years later in Brazil, losing 2-0 to Chile and 5-1 to the Netherlands. Speaking about the tournament, Pique revealed the exit sapped him of his desire, per Sport:

Motivation is key, when you don’t have motivation you look for it. If you’re not motivated or comfortable, you leave it.

We’re lucky because financially we’ll be very good, but if you’re not motivated, why carry on? After the World Cup (2014) I spoke to people and said I didn’t want to continue, but I spoke to my coaches, Vicente del Bosque, and they convinced me to change my mind. 

At the time, Pique was rated as one of the best centre-backs in the game.

At club level, Barca finished that season without silverware, coming up short against Atletico Madrid in La Liga on the last day of the campaign and dropping out of the UEFA Champions League to the same opponent. For the centre-back, it was a rare low in his distinguished career.

However, Luis Enrique took over as Barcelona manager the following season, and the team romped to a memorable treble. Pique praised the coach for helping him rediscover his love for the game and a subsequent run of wonderful form.

"It was a question of motivation. I didn’t have it, maybe because I’d won so much so young," he said. "But with [Enrique] giving us more, I’m feeling comfortable in the club, also in the national team. And also publicly saying I want to be best in the world again, I realised I had to get back. I’ve grown. I feel I’m at the best time in my career."

At the moment, there may not be a finer centre-back in world football than the 29-year-old. Pique is a leader at the back for Barca, blending superb defensive awareness, physicality and composure on the ball to give the Blaugrana an often unflappable foundation.

Spanish football journalist Sergi Dominguez feels as though the defender should be one of the club captains given just how significant he is to the cause:

As Barcelona continue to move forward, you sense that’s an accolade he’ll eventually receive, and given his remarkable recent form, Pique can play a key role in more glories for the club in years to come. Considering the standards he’s set as of late, it would have been an enormous shame had he walked away from the game in 2014.