Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique suddenly called time on his glittering career on Thursday, saying he will retire from football when La Liga breaks for the World Cup this month.
A three-time Champions League winner with the club who also helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup, Pique said in a video posted on his Twitter account Thursday that "this Saturday will be my last game at Camp Nou.”
"It is time to end this stage of my life,” Pique said in the video clip of him watching images of himself as a small boy wearing the Barcelona shirt, or chasing after autographs.
"I always said that after Barcelona there will be no other club, and that is the way it is going to be.”
Pique, 35, has played 615 games for Barcelona, scoring 52 goals. In addition to the treble of European Cups, he helped Barcelona win eight Spanish league titles and seven Copa del Rey crowns among other titles.
"A lifetime dedicated to Barca. Thank you, Pique," Barcelona tweeted after the player's announcement.
Pique also helped his country win the 2012 European Championship before retiring from international soccer in 2018.
After being a set starter for most of his career, Pique lost his starting job this season after Barcelona brought in new players at his position of center back.
Barcelona hosts Almeria on Saturday. It will travel to Osasuna on Tuesday for its final fixture before the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar.
Pique has a contract with Barcelona until 2024 but he will renounce the remaining year and a half of his salary, La Vanguardia newspaper reported.
The decision will help the club improve its financial fair play margin since Pique is among their best-paid players.
Pique's retirement comes after he split up with pop star Shakira, the mother of his two children, this summer.
"I'm going to become a super fan, I'll be supporting the team and pass on my love for Barca to my son," Pique said.
Considered one of the best at his position at the peak of his career as part of the great Barcelona teams led by Lionel Messi, Pique stood out from other players for his interest in business ventures that he started while still performing on the field.
He successfully overhauled tennis’ Davis Cup competition, while also getting into controversial deals with the Spanish federation involving its holding of the Spanish Super Cup competition in Saudi Arabia.
He has even said he would possibly consider a run at becoming the future president of Barcelona at some point.
In his farewell video, while looking at the board's Camp Nou seats, he said: "Sooner or later, I'll be back."
Pique came up through Barcelona's youth academy, playing along with Messi as a teenager before he left for Manchester United. He returned to Barcelona in 2008 under coach Pep Guardiola and immediately blossomed as a skilled defender thanks to his smarts, passing skills and leadership.
