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Barcelona defender Gerard Pique enjoyed a chat with streamer Ibai Llanos on Thursday and offered his thoughts on Lionel Messi’s future and his own recovery from a knee problem.
Pique discussed the events of last summer when Messi asked to leave Barcelona and admitted it had been a tough time for the club and the players, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
It was a very difficult situation for everyone. On the one hand there is the situation of the club, on the other hand there is the personal level [what Messi feels], and some events happened that ended in the best possible way because Leo stayed. I don’t know what Leo Messi’s final intention is. Now I see him happy and wanting to win as always. Having him by your side is a guarantee of success.
Messi has yet to confirm his plans for the future. The 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer but has said he will wait until the end of the season before making any decisions on his next move.
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Pique Talks Injury Recovery
Pique also discussed his own situation as he continues his recovery from a knee injury suffered in November. The center-back has been back in training this week and has been tipped to return in Barca’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
The 34-year-old did not put a date on his comeback but said he is feeling good. He explained, “I’m better than I expected. I need to spend several hours running, spinning and touching the ball. I made the decision to go with a preservation method, and it seems to be working very well.”
Uruguay international Ronald Araujo has filled in well while Pique has been out injured, meaning coach Ronald Koeman will have some tough decisions to make over his starting XI when the veteran defender does finally return to full fitness.
Pique Takes Real Madrid & Referees
The Barcelona defender also enjoyed a chat with YouTube show Post United and spoke about referees in La Liga. Pique responded to a claim from former referee Eduardo Iturralde who told Cadena SER last year that “90 percent” of match officials support Real Madrid, as reported by ESPN.
The 34-year-old feels that referees in Spain’s top flight may indeed find it difficult to be impartial due to their club allegiances.
Even subconsciously, how are they not going to give more decisions to one side than the other? While I respect the professionalism of the referees and I know they try to do their best, when a moment of doubt comes…
Barcelona moved level on points with their fierce rivals Real Madrid in second place in La Liga after beating Athletic 2-1 on Sunday in La Liga. Yet both teams remain a distant 10 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid in the title race. The Rojiblancos also have a game in hand on both clubs
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