Pique is the very definition of a ball playing center back, he combines his defending abilities very well with his technique and range of passing. His rise at Barcelona has been because Pique has been able to adapt his game to that of a playmaker from defence, which allows him to be an essential part of Barcelona’s free-flowing style of play.
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Pique has a fantastic passing record in La Liga, averaging almost 90% pass completion. The number of passes he attempts on an average per game is also quite good for a defender – approximately 59. He is also very efficient with his long balls. Apart from this, Pique can be often found venturing forward when the opponents are defending deep and he becomes a very important outlet for Barcelona when breaking down such compact teams. Pique has been equally effective while playing for Spain, which saw him win the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship 2012.
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Pique also chips in vital goals for club and country, which makes him a vital part of both teams. Even though he has had a few bad days at the office, Pique makes very few defensive errors on an average and also concedes fewer fouls, because he uses his technique and ball playing skills to full effect. He also wins more take-on than the average defenders.
Gerard Pique, as such, is one of the greatest ball playing center backs right now and would have certainly topped this list, had it not been for one exciting center back who has won almost everything at a young age.
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About the author
Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written over 8500 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5Million reads.
Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.
Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.
Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.
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