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      Nine stars who played for Man Utd and Barcelona, from four-time Champions League winner to winger who flopped at BOTH

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      MANCHESTER UNITED and Barcelona will be no strangers when they take each other on in the Europa League.The Reds Devils will play the La Liga giants in February next year in the tournament’s preliminary round.
      FC Barcelona attacker Memphis Depay is one of nine stars that also played for Manchester UnitedCredit: EPA
      The two clubs have locked horns on 13 occasions, with United only winning three of them.
      The pair have enjoyed having some of the best players to ever grace the game, and at times, these players have played for both.
      Nine players have played for both clubs with varying levels of success.
      Zlatan Ibrahimovic
      The Swedish striker played for Barcelona between 2009 and 2011 but struggled to hit his best form and returned to Serie A.
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      He later joined United in 2016 following his exit from PSG and enjoyed a successful spell at Old Trafford as he won the Europa League and EFL Cup.
      Gerard Pique
      The recently retired long-standing Barcelona defender spent four years at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2008 in which he made 12 appearances in the Premier League.
      Pique returned to Barcelona and would go on to win pretty much everything possible in his career at the domestic and international levels.
      Alexis Sanchez
      The Chilean was a star in Catalonia during his three-year stint between 2011 and 2014 and got even better when he moved to the Premier League.
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      However for United fans this was to Arsenal and when he did eventually move to their club, he was a tremendous failure for two years.
      Memphis Depay
      Another winger that failed to cut the cloth at United, the dutchman was signed as one of the most promising youngsters in Europe from PSV but failed to consistently perform.
      Depay would rebuild his reputation in France with Lyon before moving to Barcelona on a free transfer in 2021.
      He has done well at the Nou Camp but has not become a regular starter under manager Xavi.
      Laurent Blanc
      The former France defender spent a single season at Barcelona in 1996 and would later move to Manchester United in the final years of his career.
      Blanc spent two seasons with the Red Devils between 2001 and 2003 before retiring from playing.
      Victor Valdes
      The Spanish shot-stopper is a legendary figure at the Nou Camp as he won everything possible as well as appearing over 500 times for the club.
      He joined United in 2015 after his contract expired, but failed to dislodge David De Gea in goal and only played twice in the Premier League before leaving the club in 2016.
      Henrik Larsson
      Another Swedish striker, Larsson had a mixed spell at Barcelona as he only scored 13 La Liga goals in 40 appearances and would leave the club to rejoin Swedish side Helsingborg.
      He would then move to the Red Devils on loan in January 2007, a spell in which he would score three times in 13 appearances in all competitions.
      Jordi Cruyff
      The former attacking midfielder is the son of iconic player Johan Cruyff and spent two years with Barcelona between 1994 and 1996.
      He then left the club for Old Trafford where he would spend the next three years of his career before a loan spell to Celta Vigo in 1999.
      Mark Hughes
      The current Bradford City manager spent two years away from Manchester United between 1986 and 1988, the first was at Barcelona and then the second was a loan spell at Bayern Munich.
      He returned to United in 1988 and would go on to play there for seven more years before leaving for Chelsea. More

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      Shakira set to move to Miami with two children after thrashing out agreement with Barcelona legend

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      SHAKIRA is set to move to Miami next year with her two children as part of an agreement thrashed out between her and Gerard Pique’s lawyers at a marathon 12-hour meeting.The 45-year-old Colombian pop star will relocate to Florida with sons Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven, early in the New Year according to Catalan press.
      Pique played his final game for Barcelona on Saturday as he said an emotional goodbye to fansCredit: Rex
      Shakira released a new song last month which some fans have seen as a reference to PiqueCredit: AFP
      Pique, who broke down in tears on Saturday at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium during an emotional farewell speech after retiring from football, is said to have ceded to Shakira’s wishes to avoid an ugly court divorce battle. 
      The summit meeting ended with a deal lifting the main stumbling block in the couple’s ongoing attempts to reach an out-of-court settlement.
      The talks happened on Monday afternoon at their former family home in Esplugues de Llobregat on the outskirts of Barcelona. 
      It didn’t finish until the early hours of this morning/yesterday morning (TUE) according to local press.
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      The negotiations were described as “intense” by respected Catalan daily El Periodico.
      Rival La Vanguardia, which also reported on the agreement “after 12 hours of negotiation” added: “Milan and Sasha will go with Shakira to Miami.
      “The children will spend Christmas in Barcelona but as soon as 2023 begins, the footballer will say goodbye and assume a painful sacrifice so that the youngsters don’t experience an even more traumatic separation between their parents.
      “He will be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean to see them whenever he wants. The costs will be borne by both of them.”
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      Shakira’s split from Pique after a relationship lasting 11 years had become the soap opera of the summer in Spain and elsewhere as their chosen careers took a back seat to lurid reports about their private life.
      On Saturday Pique was filmed kissing and cuddling his new girlfriend Clara Chia in the stands at Barcelona’s stadium after his emotional farewell tribute.
      The pair hugged each other and locked lips as they chatted with friends.
      Shakira appeared to hit out at her ex in a new song she released last month called Monotonia with references to the “narcissism” and “cold as Christmas” attitude of a man she is breaking up with. More

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      Gerard Pique packs on PDA as Barcelona star hugs and kisses new girlfriend 12 years his junior after Shakira split

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      GERARD PIQUE put on a public display of affection by kissing and hugging his new girlfriend after his emotional Barcelona farewell tribute.The 35-year-old dad-of-two, whose two sons also attended the celebration, showed he has nothing to hide now his 11-year relationship with Colombian singer Shakira is over.

      Pique bid farewell to Barca at the weekendCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Pique with new girlfriend ChiaCredit: Twitter/@argentinaminuto
      He locked lips with Clara Chia, 23, and put his arms round her.
      The pair cuddled up to each other as they chatted with friends in the stands at the Camp Nou after Pique played his last game for Barcelona and retired from professional football.
      Spanish sports television network Gol Play filmed the memorable moment and wrote alongside the footage it posted on Twitter Gol Direct: “The first kiss of @gerardpique after the tribute.
      “The centre back shared this special day with his loved ones.”
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      A match commentator said as a cameraman approached Pique and Clara and they realised their romantic scene was being filmed but continued to embrace each other: “Look at this image.
      “Gerard Pique’s first kiss after receiving the tribute from the Camp Nou spectators.
      “Happy, satisfied, accompanied by his family and those who most love him.
      “It’s the last image Gerard Pique has left us with on his day, on the day he said goodbye to his team.”
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      The former Man Utd defender shocked the football world on Thursday by announcing on his Twitter Saturday’s game against Almeria would be his last in a Barcelona shirt and his final game as a professional footballer.
      He made 397 appearances for the Catalan giants, scoring 29 times, and was capped 102 times for Spain at senior level.
      He said in an emotional message accompanying footage of him gazing over the Catalan capital from a balcony and throwback pictures and video of him as a young child in a Barcelona shirt: “It’s been 25 years since I joined Barca.
      “I left and I came back. Football has given me everything. You, culés, have given me everything.
      “And now that all that kid’s dreams have come true, I want to tell you that now is the time to bring this journey to an end.”
      Confirming he was quitting professional football halfway through the season, he added: “I will become a regular fan, I will support the team, I will pass my love for Barca to my children, like my family did with me.”
      Pique made a tearful speech on the pitch at Camp Nou on Saturday night, saying “I was born here and I will die here” after playing in most of Barcelona’s 2-0 victory before being substituted late on to rapturous applause from home fans.
      The football star’s relationship with Barcelona-born beauty Clara emerged shortly after he and Shakira announced in May they had split after 11 years and two children together.
      His personal life has been under the media spotlight ever since and has been cited as one of the reasons for his shock football retirement decision.
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      Pique and Clara are said to have met at his firm Kosmos where she works.
      Spanish news website Niusdiario reported last week the couple are now living together at Pique’s luxury city centre penthouse apartment in Barcelona and are planning to start a family.
      Pique and Shakira have called time on their 11-year relationshipCredit: Getty More

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      Real Madrid’s Alfredo di Stefano stadium evacuated mid-match with B team forced to leave pitch

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      REAL MADRID’S Alfredo di Stefano Stadium has been EVACUATED during a match.Spectators were instructed over the public address system to vacate the premises as Real Madrid Castilla took on Pontevedra.
      Real Madrid Castilla play their home matches at Alfredo di Stefano stadiumCredit: Reuters
      Confused and alarmed fans left the stadium, as a message over the tannoy read: “Attention, attention, the occupants of the building are requested to evacuate, remain calm and go to the meeting point.”
      According to Marca, Real Madrid later confirmed that the evacuation was due to an “electronic failure in the evacuation alarm room”.
      It later emerged that a button was either pushed by mistake or malfunctioned.
      The evacuation was still carried out in order to ensure that everything was in order.
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      After chaotic scenes, the match soon resumed from the 68th minute.
      Alfredo di Stefano Stadium is located within Real Madrid’s training ground.
      It is typically home to Real Madrid Castilla and Real Madrid’s women’s team.
      But the venue also hosted men’s first team games during the 2020-21 season, while the Santiago Bernabeu was renovated.
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      Two behind-closed-doors Spanish national team matches were played there too, in September and October 2020.
      Real Madrid Castilla are managed by club legend Raul.
      They went into today’s match sat sixth in their regional group of the Spanish third tier.
      Raul coaches Real Madrid CastillaCredit: Getty More

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      Barcelona line up Athletic Bilbao’s Inigo Martinez as Gerard Pique’s transfer replacement after defender retires

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      BARCELONA are lining up a transfer for Inigo Martinez in order to replace Gerard Pique, according to reports.Pique announced he would be leaving Barcelona and retiring from football in a heartfelt video posted to social media earlier this week.
      Inigo Martinez has been identified as the replacement for Gerard PiqueCredit: Getty
      Athletic Bilbao defender Martinez is the man they want to replace their outgoing legend.
      Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo report that a verbal agreement has already been agreed between Barca and the 31-year-old to join next summer.
      However, Pique’s retirement will accelerate these plans, with the Blaugrana looking to acquire Martinez on the cheap in winter instead.
      On top of his early exit, Pique has agreed to waive the remainder of his contract and instead only collect what he was owed in deferred payment.
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      This gesture is set to save the struggling club a whopping £44million.
      Martinez’s Bilbao contract runs out in the summer of 2023, and Bilbao would likely welcome the opportunity to raise some funds if Martinez has no intention of signing a new deal.
      The Spaniard joined the Basque club from Real Sociedad in 2018.
      Bilbao famously employ an exclusive regional recruitment policy.
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      This means that only players who were born in the Basque region of Spain or who learnt their skills at a Basque club may represent them.
      Antoine Griezmann is one such player who fell into the latter category after being developed by neighbours Real Sociedad. More

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      ‘I loved playing there’ – Valencia star Yunus Musah open to Arsenal transfer return after breakthrough season in LaLiga

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      VALENCIA star Yunus Musah has refused to rule out a sensational move back to Arsenal. The 19-year-old is enjoying another fantastic season in LaLiga having featured nine times for the Spanish giants this campaign.
      Yunus Musah has impressed for Valencia this seasonCredit: Alamy
      Musah was in the Gunners’ youth ranks for seven years but decided to make the move to Valencia back in 2019.
      The USA midfielder has expressed his openness to move back to North London while insisting he remains happy working under manager Gennaro Gattuso.
      Musah was asked by CBS Sports if he would one day go back to Arsenal to which he responded: “You never know.
      “I had a great time at Arsenal developing there, I still have friends there, the coaches were great, being an Arsenal player in general is great.
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      “I loved playing for Arsenal. I’ve nothing against the club and if one day it turns out to be that it’s time to go back then it’s possible.
      “For now I’m really happy at Valencia and I’m looking forward to carrying this season on in the same way we’re doing now.”
      Musah reportedly has an £87million release clause in his contract and his deal runs until 2026.
      Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is supposedly keen on signing a central midfielder to bolster his squad as they challenge for the Premier League title.
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      Musah has been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Juventus too.
      And he will have the chance to impress on the global stage as he aims to be part of the USA squad heading to the World Cup.
      Despite his young age the starlet has already been capped 19 times on the international stage and could feature versus England. More

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      Gerard Pique’s best-ever XI of team-mates including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as he announces retirement

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      GERARD PIQUE is hanging up his boots after an illustrious career spanning 18 years and featuring 25 major honours.The Spanish defender lifted the World Cup in 2010 as the pinnacle and backed it up with the Euros two years later.
      Gerard Pique will bid an emotional farewell from Barcelona on SaturdayCredit: Getty

      Pique played alongside some of his generation’s best playersCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      At club level, he has been a mainstay in the Barcelona team for 14 seasons since returning to the Nou Camp following a short stint at Manchester United.
      But after playing in one of the best Sir Alex Ferguson teams and being part of a record-breaking era for Barcelona and Spain, Pique has his fair share of elite team-mates.
      Some he played with a lot – such as the 46,558 minutes with Sergio Busquets – and others only briefly – 65 minutes alongside Gary Neville.
      He called time on his career this week, saving Barcelona a staggering £44million, and Saturday’s match against Almeria will be his 616th and final appearance for Barca.
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      But here is arguably the best XI of Pique’s team-mates, and it’s not a bad team…
      GK: IKER CASILLAS
      The iconic goalkeeper may have been a long-term rival at Real Madrid but they put their allegiances aside for the national team.
      They played 56 times together and won the World Cup and Euros within two years – with Casillas the captain.
      Iker Casillas was the goalkeeper as Spain won the World Cup in 2010Credit: AFP
      RB: DANI ALVES
      Not only the best right-back to play with Pique but also had the longevity with a superb career over the years.
      The most decorated footballer ever by major trophies and a true legend of the game.
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      CB: SERGIO RAMOS
      Pique and Ramos were the stalwarts at the back through season after season of El Clasicos.
      But put them together on the field for Spain and few strikers have faced a tougher, more experienced or successful pair of centre-backs.
      CB: RIO FERDINAND
      It could have been Carles Puyol or Nemanja Vidic but Rio Ferdinand gets the nod as the other centre-back.
      He was near his very best while Pique was at Manchester United between 2004 and 2008, culminating in that Champions League win.
      Rivals at club level, Pique and Ramos were stalwarts for SpainCredit: Reuters
      The defender went up against his former team-mates Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in the Champions League finalCredit: Getty
      LB: JORDI ALBA
      Like Alves on the other side, Alba is the obvious choice on the left for his success for both Barcelona and Spain.
      He pips the likes of Patrice Evra, Eric Abidal, Marcos Alonso, Nacho Monreal and Kieran Richardson.
      CM: XAVI
      Arguably the easiest choice of all – Xavi walks into the first slot in midfield.
      Yet another generational talent and formed part of the iconic trio in the heart of the teams for Barca and Spain – and plays a special role in his retirement as his final manager.
      CM: PAUL SCHOLES
      It is harsh on Busquets to miss out but Scholes is in.
      The one-club man bossed the middle of the park for years at United, including when Pique was at Old Trafford.
      CM: ANDRES INIESTA
      You can’t have Xavi without his pal Iniesta.
      The pair were the creativity behind the genius that brought endless success and so much silverware for club and country – plus he scored the goal to win the World Cup in 2010.
      Andres Iniesta and Xavi delivered so much success for Barca togetherCredit: Getty
      This was a familiar sight for Pique playing alongside Lionel MessiCredit: AP
      RF: LIONEL MESSI
      Who else but the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and Argentine hero Messi, with whom Pique played 40,526 minutes at Barcelona?
      The jewel in the crown for Barcelona as the superstar led the way to Champions League glory in 2009, 2011 and 2015 – the best player in possibly the best football team ever.
      ST: ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI
      This was certainly the hardest choice because of the sheer plethora of strikers Pique has played (see the forwards to miss out below!) with but the latest No9 is arguably one of the very best.
      He may not be at his Bayern Munich best right now but as out-and-out strikers go, Lewandowski is one of the best and can feel hard done by not to have a Ballon d’Or on his mantle piece.
      LF: CRISTIANO RONALDO
      Last but not least it is Ronaldo, albeit they played just 596 minutes together at United before Pique returned to Barcelona – a year later they became rivals when the Portuguese ace signed for Real.
      Ronaldo was just heading towards his best in that 2007-08 season and kicked on at the Bernabeu to even greater levels, causing Pique and his fellow defenders all kinds of problems.
      Pique and Robert Lewandowski could play his final match togetherCredit: Getty
      The Spanish defender and Cristiano Ronaldo were United pals before El Clasico enemiesCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd More

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      Gerard Pique’s amazing business empire turned him into a jet-setter and will be his fallback plan when he retires

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      GERARD PIQUE is building a burgeoning business empire that includes esports, sunglasses and even organic hamburgers.The Barcelona defender is retiring from the game and has travelled more on work matters than anyone in the Nou Camp side since has in Europe.
      Gerard Pique’s business empire has seen him turn into a jet-setting globetrotterCredit: Reuters
      During two international breaks back in 2018, World Cup winner Pique travelled a total of 20,545 miles.
      The Spain team in that same time period clocked just 6,900 miles.
      Pique’s many commitments mean he racked up more miles than anyone else at the club – despite no international fixtures typically meaning a less hectic schedule.
      That is not the case with Pique, with his £2.3billion plan to revamp tennis’ Davis Cup taking priority.
      This shows how far Pique has travelled compared to the Spain team in the international breaksCredit: Sun Graphics
      Pique’s Kosmos investment group have got the go-ahead for a £2.3billion revamp of the Davis Cup
      The Barcelona star models some of his own Kypers sunglasses
      Davis Cup revamp overhaul led by Barcelona’s Gerard Pique and his Kosmos investment group is approved by International Tennis Federation
      During that same international break, Pique, now 35, hopped on a plane to China for the 12,200-mile round trip to the Shanghai Masters.
      After that came a 745-mile round trip to Madrid to tell people during a presentation that Rafa Nadal will play in his reformatted tennis event, which is being financially backed by Kosmos, the investment group he founded.
      The first flight was a 7,600-mile round trip to New York for the US Open final – but it is all just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pique’s portfolio.
      He started the Kypers sunglasses brand and models their shades for his 16.7 million Instagram followers.
      Pique munches one of his organic hamburgersCredit: Twitter

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      They make an affordable line – the most expensive of their Pique ‘premium’ range on their website comes in at £70 while the cheapest are just under £22.
      In 2013, Pique got together with leading meat company Noel Alimentaria to start producing organic hamburgers under the name Natrus.
      They achieved sales just shy of £1m in their first year and Pique set up the Yours restaurant – where he was pictured taking ex-wife Shakira for a slap-up meal – but the businesses closed in October 2017.
      One project Pique seems particularly proud of is his 426 Miles sports drink.
      He hatched the plan with former Nou Camp team-mate Carles Puyol in 2016.
      The pair came up with the brand name after hearing of a female polar bear that had to swim that distance over the course of nine straight days to reach dry land due to melting ice.
      Described as the “first 100 per cent natural isotonic drink”, a slick video on their official website shows Pique going for a run and Puyol playing tennis with the hashtag ‘natural instinct’.
      The beverage comes in ‘Aurora’ flavour – strawberries, watermelon and pineapple – and ‘Polaris’ – orange, lemon, papaya and apple – and costs around £2.60 in shops.
      Pique was also involved in video game company, Kerad Games, together making Golden Manager in 2013 – a Football Manager-type game.
      World Cup winner Pique is particularly proud of his 426 Miles energy drinkCredit: Instagram

      PSG and Brazil star Neymar plays poker with Gerard Pique on his return trip to Barcelona
      Just 26 when he launched what then was his first venture as an entrepreneur, the game challenged players to run a club not just as head coach but also manage finance issues much in the way a president would do.
      It did not prove successful, however, and with reported losses of £2m closed in July, 2018.
      Not that that has put him off though, with Pique founding eFootball.Pro in 2016.
      And also in 2018, Barcelona signed an agreement with Pique to join its virtual league.
      The three-time Champions League winner’s business acumen is such that it has even led to him giving a talk at Harvard.
      The world’s most prestigious university enlisted Pique to lecture students on Barcelona as part of its ‘entertainment, media and sports industry’ masterclass last September.
      His speech to 180 students came just after the man himself attended a business course at the American university.
      Pique attended a business class at the prestigious Harvard university
      The ex-Spain star is mates with Facebook founder Mark ZuckerbergCredit: Instagram
      Pique and ex-wife Shakira with Harvard professor Anita ElberseCredit: Instagram @anitaelberse
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      And the links to Harvard do not stop there, with Pique having lunch with former student and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in February 2016.
      Posting a snap of the two of them along with billionaire Zuckerberg’s wife Priscilla, Pique wrote: “Happy to see you again Priscilla and @zuck. Hope you have had a great time in Barcelona.”
      But Pique’s off-field activities have also created awkward situations with his employer.
      Fans called for Gerard Pique to retire following his shocking start to the seasonCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Gerard Pique made his Spain debut against England in 2009Credit: Reuters
      The centre-back was behind the production company that made a documentary following Antoine Griezmann through his decision-making process on whether to stay at Atletico Madrid or accept an offer to join Barcelona
      Griezmann, much to Barcelona’s chagrin, stayed put. However, he did get his move eventually.
      Nor has he shied from taking part in the incredibly tense debate in Spain about Catalonia’s secessionist movement, saying that while he doesn’t want the wealthy northeastern region to break away, he does support efforts to hold a referendum on independence.
      Whatever happens when his football career ends this weekend, Pique will have his fingers in plenty of pies. More