Former Barcelona player Gerard Pique attends the press conference of Spanish soccer player Andres Iniesta held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain 08 October 2024. The 40-year-old Iniesta announced his retirement from professional soccer on 08 October. EPA-EFE/Alejandro Garcia
Former Barcelona defender and 2010 World Cup winner Gerard Pique has revealed that he had been close to joining Juventus when he left Manchester United all the way back in 2007, but opted against a move to Turin after learning of the interest in him from Camp Nou.
The former Barcelona and Spain centre-back spoke to Corriere dello Sport in an interview published on Saturday ahead of his upcoming visit to Turin ass part of his King’s League series.
Pique told the Italian outlet that he had been close to switching to Juventus when Claudio Ranieri was in charge in 2007, just after the Bianconeri had returned to Serie A.
“The last year in Manchester, before going to Barça, I was about to join Juventus, it was 2007,” Pique told Corriere dello Sport. “I was no longer tempted once I returned home, though.”
Pique spent four years on United’s books before returning back to Catalonia. The 2006-07 season was spent back on loan in LaLiga with Real Zaragoza.
“I was there for three years, I came in when I was 17, I was very young and at that time United had the best central defender pairings in the Premier League: Rio Ferdinand and (Nemanja) Vidic.
“We won the Champions League and Premier League, but I played just 20 or 25 games with United.”
Though Pique’s career did not take him through Turin in the end, he was part of one of the most successful spells in Barcelona’s history, winning nine LaLiga titles, three Champions League trophies and seven more in the Copa Del Rey, as well as a World Cup and back-to-back European Championships with Spain.
