'I was born here, and I will die here' - Pique after emotional final Barcelona game

Gerard Pique is now officially retired. On Saturday, he played his final game for Barcelona. As he bid an emotional farewell to his football career, he asserted that he was born in the city and would die here.

Spanish defender Gerard Pique has happily retired from football. On Saturday, he played his final game for Barcelona against Almeria at Camp Nou, which the hosts won 2-0, thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembélé (48) and Frenkie de Jong (62). Pique was substituted in the 85th minute by Andreas Christensen, as the former bid a teary and emotional farewell to the sport and his fans while walking back, whereas following the victory, he was lifted and thrown into the air by his teammates. After the triumph, he expressed his love and affection for the club and city, vowing to die in the same place.

Pique said to the fans at the venue, "To want is to let go. There is so much love and passion between Barca and me. It was time to leave—[But] I am convinced I'll be here again. I already left and came back. It is not a farewell. I have been a member since I was born here and will die here."

While his teammate Sergio Busquests said, "He leaves an incredible legacy. Playing for Barcelona means more to him than it does to anyone, and we will miss him." Also, Barca head coach Xavi added, "He had a great game. We wanted to send him off in the best possible way. The bigger the game for him, the better he performed. I have already told him that he is a Barca legend, and we are very thankful."

"Everything is beautiful today: the game and the phenomenal performance. The tribute to Pique, we have to reconsider many times when we whistle at footballers. That doesn't add up. What adds up is this, 15 days ago, there was whistling [at Pique]. He deserves this farewell. We have to realise that whistling doesn't help," concluded Xavi, reports FotMob.