Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is one of many Blaugrana players to enjoy a lovely relationship with Pep Guardiola, having been a key figure in the Spanish manager's iconic Camp Nou lineup from 2008 to 2012. However, the center-back has now revealed that this was not always the case.
All was well when the world-class tactician initially arrived in Catalonia to take over as manager. Pique established an excellent partnership with Carles Puyol, conquering Spain, Europe, and the globe en route to their sextuple but the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid sparked a change.
Speaking in an interview with Marca, the 2010 World Cup winner revealed that Pep's rivalry with the Special One brought strain upon the players. Things took a turn for the worse when the former Man United defender began dating pop star Shakira back in 2011, with Pep, who "wanted absolute control of everything", taking a disliking to this move.
Pique admits that while his relationship with Guardiola is currently perfect, things were different back then, admitting that he even contemplated leaving the Camp Nou as a result of all of this.
"We reached an important point of tension with him, and with the dressing room in general. The rivalry with José Mourinho was very exhausting," the 34-year-old admitted.
"Pep wanted absolute control of everything that happened. I started dating Shakira and the relationship with him changed - now the relationship is perfect.
"I had a lot of pressure. I felt that in training I had to do everything perfect. If there was a moment in which I thought about leaving Barça, it was that season (the summer of 2011)."
Pep would go on to lead the Catalan giants to another La Liga and UEFA Champions League title that year before departing the club in 2012. The Spaniard took a sabbatical from coaching after his successful but strenuous time at the Camp Nou before taking over Bayern Munich and current club Man City. Pique, on the other hand, went on to enjoy a lovely relationship with Shakira, whom he has had two kids with. The defender remained at Barcelona and added several more titles to his trophy cabinet, the most recent being last season's Copa del Rey title.
