Pique: "Return better than Champions League win"

Barcelona placer Gerard Piqué gave an interview to Spanish sports weekly paper Don Balón.





At what temperature is the crapometer?
The crapometer is below five degrees. We're in the freezer. Seriously though, the team is going through a great season, and fighting for three titles. It's natural for results to not always reflect that but we're in the same streak of intensity and mentality. And we've always known that Madrid would be alive until the end.

But the team has lost freshness. Is it because of fatigue?
The team is showing that they have been playing many games but thanks to rotations, the players aren't too tired as if all the same players were playing. It's not an excuse.

Is it because of the pressure from all the praise?
Praise has its positive and negative side. The positive side is that it's always nice to be noticed and valued for your work. The negative side is that the entire world is waiting for you to mess up and when that happens, it seems like a catastrophe. Deep inside we know that we're doing well and are on a good path.

Is it because Messi can't do it on his own all the time?
It's hard for Leo to score three goals every match so he also depends on us. We can't always depend on him because any dependence is always negative. The team has to prove that there are other ways without him.

Playing anti-football is one of the best ways to defeat your team?
It's not the only way to defeat us. It's true that many opponents try to get points by keeping the scoreline, closing the back and shutting down our attack. But well, everyone figures something out to create opportunities. Nobody said that we were invincible.

Has there been more violence since the match against Real Madrid?
When they can't stop us they do foul us more. It's only a part of football. It's another thing when the violence is out of measure, that's when the referee should intervene.

Tell me about your beginnings in the youth teams, when your grandfather Amador Bernabeu was in the director's board. Have you ever been accused of being here because of your connection?
No, from the first day I've felt very integrated. I've felt so involved that that accusation hasn't been told from respect.

What a generation of players you’re part of...
You have several kinas of generations, and mine was spectacular. We were a small team, with Cesc and Messi here from very beginning. We had a great connection and that's why we didn't lost a single match in such a long time.

You were close with Cesc. Did you ever talk about getting so far in this sport?
When you start playing at such a young age you don't think about succeeding with Barca. You think about playing every day with your friends, winning matches and enjoying the sport. When you're 14 and you're still there, with the future so close, then you Stara to think about it. At that age was when we understood that a dream could come true and that we could do this.

It turned out that Cesc went to Arsenal and you went to Manchester. Did that ruin things?
I felt screwed leaving Barca. You leave home, the club of your life, and friends. You live with the anguish of thinking that you'll never wear the shirt again. That's why returning last summer was perfect. It's the best that has happened to me as a footballer, better than winning the Champions League with Manchester United.

You didn't play one minute in the semifinals against Barcelona. Did that bother you?
It was a complicated situation because of everything going on. At the moment Ferguson was aware of Barcelona's interest. By then we already had a verbal agreement and I guess that he felt that if he played me and something went wrong, the fans would use that against me.

Did he tell you that personally?
He went up to me during my nap two hours before the match and told me that he couldn't play me. I took it with professionalism but of course it bothered me. Because of this, I couldn't enter the team roster. It's not why I left the team but...

Let's return to Barcelona. What did you find when becoming part of the squad this summer?
Between everything, less pessimism. I was very excited and hopeful to return to the best team in the world, like three years ago. The coach also implemented his ideas of winning titles and we quickly absorbed his ideas.

Translated by: Al


This was the first part of this interview. You will be able to read the second part here in the coming days with Piqué talking, among other things, about being part of the national team and explaining why Henry is mad at him.

Read more:
Piqué: "Now I want to score in the Bernabeu"
An evaluation of last year's transfer summer
International: Pique makes debut for Spain