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Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has revealed that it would be impossible for Barcelona or Real Madrid to win the Premier League, at least in their first campaign reports the Telegraph. The Spaniard was seen providing his thoughts on various topics ahead of Spain’s International friendly against England in Alicante on Friday.
The former Manchester United player has also revealed his dream team, his thoughts on Wayne Rooney, an Englishman who has caught his eye recently and how Lionel Messi might fare on a rainy night at Stoke.
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I do not know how many medals I have won
The towering defender is one of the most decorated footballers in world football. After moving to Spain from England in 2008, he has won everything there has to be won with Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
For the record, so far, there have been four Champions League titles (three with Barca, one with United), five La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys, three Spanish Super Cups, one Uefa Super Cup, a Fifa Club World Cup and a Premier League title. Then, for Spain, there is a World Cup and a European Championship. All by the age of 28.
But Pique has said he does not know exactly how many titles and honours he has won. He feels that this particular knowledge might bring a level of complacency to his game.
“If you stop now and start to realise what you have achieved then you start to relax and you start to lose,” he said.
“I don’t think about everything I have achieved. I will do it when I retire because then I will have a lot of days to remember.”
He also admits that he finds it hard to believe that he has achieved so much in the game and wants to continue doing the same as long as he can perform at the top level.
“I never imagined in my life to win all these tournaments,” Pique admits.
“But I want to win more and I have a good chance to do so. I have four, five years more of my career. But I have to perform at the top-level. If, just once, I say ‘listen, I don't want to work as much’ then I will be on the bench. Then in the stands. Then out. It’s over.”
“It’s a responsibility when you have won as much as I have done, as much as the teams I have played for have done, then the fans are waiting for more.”
Barca, Real Madrid will not win the Premier League
Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid have dominated club football for a long time now and the gulf in class between them and their English counterparts is clearly evident and there for all to see. However, Pique feels that Barcelona and Real Madrid will struggle to win the Premier League, at least in the first season anyway.
“I think that if Barcelona or Real Madrid goes to the Premier League then the first year of playing there, there is no chance of winning it,” he says.
Really? “Yes, I think so, because if you go to Stoke or other types of teams, then it will be really tough. It’s a debate – we could spend hours on it. If Manchester United or Chelsea go to Spain then the same. No chance to win the league.”
When asked about how Messi, arguably the best footballer on the planet, might perform on a rainy night at Stoke, he opined that with all his outrageous talent and technique, Messi would most certainly need time to adapt to the Premier League.
Rooney was the joker in the dressing room at United
The 28-year-old has also revealed his fondness for current United captain Wayne Rooney and talked about his time with him at Old Trafford where he spent four years of his early career. He also revealed that the two still remain in touch and share the occasional phone calls and texts.
“He’s a fantastic lad. When I was there [at United – from 2004-08] he was really young and I was really young too and he helped me a lot. He involved me in the team, helped me to learn English. He was the joker in the dressing room. I have great memories.”
Pique defended his ex-teammate saying that though Rooney is going through a rough patch, he is still a class act and he has been unfairly targeted.
“He’s not as quick as he was, maybe, but he will always score goals – he scored a hat-trick against Brugge, he scored against CSKA (Moscow). He has kept scoring.
“It’s true he’s getting older, we all have to accept that, but he has the ability to play for a long time. And, you know, when you don’t score sometimes it is not because of you. Sometimes it’s maybe the team is not creating chances for you.”
“Not everything, always, is about your performance. It’s about the team performance. When the team is not playing well then normally you will not play well. It’s all about the team,” he said.
Stones, Smalling have been playing well
Pique, when quizzed about which current young Englishman he thought has the potential to make it big in the game, not very surprisingly picked a defender as his choice.
“Rio Ferdinand and John Terry were the two main central defenders in England. Top-level,” he says.
“Now I think John Stones is a really, really, good player. He will have a good career. He’s like Rio, a bit. He’s young and alongside him they probably need one who is more experienced. Jagielka is injured. But Smalling is playing well at Manchester United.”
Pique’s world ‘dream team’
Pique has also revealed his current world dream team. There were no major surprises sprung by the defender as the usual suspects made in into his team. His Barcelona teammates, no doubt, dominated the lineup as he chose the trio of Messi, Neymar and Suarez as his front three.
“Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta,” he begins.
Bitter rivals Real Madrid saw only two of its players, Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, make the cut in Pique’s team. However, the current Ballon d’Or holder surprisingly could only find a place on the bench.
“There is also Pogba, Cristiano Ronaldo. I have the best players in the world.”
His team also features ‘friend’ Wayne Rooney and Everton’s John Stones as the two English representatives.
Subs: Iker Casillas, Dani Alves, Eden Hazard, David Silva, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo.
