Темы: Spain, Barcelona, Gerard Pique
The Barcelona defender has retired from national duty.

The Spanish Football Federation has confirmed that Gerard Pique will no longer don the colors of La Roja as he’s hung up his boots on the international front. The 31-year-old defender’s decision came as no surprise as he made his intentions clear before the commencement of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

With his nation surprisingly exiting the tournament at the Round of 16 stage following a defeat to host Russia, Gerard Pique brought to an end almost 10 years of service. The defender made this pronouncement while addressing the press ahead of Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup clash with Sevilla on Sunday.

He higlighted that he wants to fully focus on helping the Catalans win more trophies.

“I spoke to Luis Enrique a few days ago. He called me and I told him the decision was taken a long time ago and that I had thought about it carefully.

“It was a beautiful time with the national team in which I had the chance to win the World Cup and the European Championship. Now I want to focus on Barca,” he added.

“I have a few years left here and I’m going to enjoy them a lot.”

Gerard Pique amassed 102 caps for Spain, including appearances at the 2012 and 2016 European Championships, the triumphant 2010 FIFA World Cup at South Africa and the subsequent editions of the global tournament in 2014 and 2018 at Brazil and Russia respectively.