Gerard Pique became the latest Barcelona player to sign a contract extension. Pique turns 31 next month and was due to complete his contract in the summer of next year. The contract extension takes the Spain international through until June 2022.
No salary details were released but a buyout clause of $600M was confirmed by the team.
In the 2017 rankings of the highest paid soccer players in the world, Forbes placed Pique 19th with a salary of $14.7M and endorsement earnings of $3M.
Thirteen months ago Barcelona had a number of players with two years or less left on their contracts. The bold move by Paris Saint Germain to trigger the release clause of Neymar only served to remind the Barcelona how important it is to tie down key players with long-term deals and more aggressive buyout clauses.
Performance of Barcelona´s Top 5 players in the first part of the season for ValoraFutbol fans!! @mterstegen1 @samumtiti @SergiRoberto10 @JordiAlba pic.twitter.com/q0mKQy941X
— ValoraFutbol(@ValoraFutbol_En) January 18, 2018
Since December 2016 Barcelona has signed Lionel Messi (contract to June 2021), Iniesta (lifetime), Luis Suarez (2021), Ivan Rakitic (2021), and Marc-André ter Stegen (2022) to new deals.
Another key part of the Barcelona team, Sergio Busquets, signed an extension in September 2016 through to June 2021.
Sergi Roberto appears to be the only player that Barcelona is eager to extend who has yet to come to terms. The utility player signed a 5-year deal in 2014 and securing his signature is a priority for Barcelona.
Centre-back Samuel Umtiti was signed in the summer of 2016 from Lyon for $30M (1.18 euro to the dollar) but the word is that Barcelona would like to up and extend his contract and bump a contract release of $68M that may tempt some other rich team.
Barcelona also signed another young central defender earlier this week. Colombian Yerry Mina was transferred from Palmeiras in Brazil for $14M and a release clause value of $120M was placed against his contract.
Yerry Mina will wear the #24 shirt at Barcelona. Previously worn by the likes of Puyol, Iniesta, Sergi Roberto, Yaya Touré and more. [@FCBarcelona]
— Grup 14 (@G14_en) January 18, 2018
Umtiti’s progress has been such that on many occasions he outshone Pique in defense. But nonetheless, Pique’s vast experience cannot be overlooked as Barcelona start the process of changing the defensive guard.
[BREAKING NEWS]@3gerardpique has agreed a new @FCBarcelona contract until 2022
Full storyhttps://t.co/Reo9RsJ3IU
#Pique2022 pic.twitter.com/wTEJKc6Gd5— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 18, 2018
Pique joined Barcelona as a 10-year-old but signed for Manchester United as a 17-year-old.
Pique returned to Barcelona in 2008 after a four-year spell with Manchester United. Pep Guardiola had just been appointed as Barcelona’s first-team coach and he had no hesitation in pairing Pique with the experienced 30-year-old Carles Puyol.
The pair was in many ways polar opposites in terms of personality, upbringing, soccer age and playing style but they formed a defensive partnership that launched the most successful period in Barcelona’s history.
In five seasons together Barcelona lifted 15 trophies including a treble in 2008/09.
Pique’s role is now to help guide Umtiti and Mina and hopefully add to the 25 trophies he has already won with Barcelona.
Gerard Pique’s honors and stats
Barcelona
3 Champions Leagues
6 La Liga titles
5 Copa del Reys
5 Spanish Supercopas
3 European Supercups
3 Club World Cups
422 appearances and 37 goals
Spain
2010 World Cup
2012 European Championship
94 appearances and 5 goals
PostScript
Sergi Roberto was in fact, the next in line. Twenty four hours after the news of Gerard Pique's contract it was announced that Sergi Roberto had also signed a new deal through to the end of the 2021-22 season with a $600M contract release clause.
@SergiRoberto10 extends his contract at @FCBarcelona untilpic.twitter.com/mDhkYe0KAV
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) January 19, 2018
