Camp Nou legend Gerard Pique was denied the chance to make a final appearance for Barcelona after allowing his emotions to get the better of him.
The defender, 35, announced he will retire this winter ahead of Saturday’s La Liga clash with Almeria, during which he received a moving send-off. He has spent 14-and-a-half trophy-laden seasons with the Catalan giants and could have made his 617th and final appearance for the club during Tuesday’s outing at Osasuna.
Barcelona manager Xavi named Pique on the bench for the fixture, as he often has this season, but the veteran centre-back ensured he would not have the chance to make a substitute appearance by getting sent off. He was seen remonstrating with the match officials after the half-time whistle blew, meeting them on the pitch and following them down the tunnel while having an animated conversation.
His protests were likely aimed at the decision to hand Robert Lewandowski a second yellow card in the 31st minute after the striker elbowed David Garcia, who had given Osasuna a 1-0 lead. The Pole had received his first booking early on in the match for a poor challenge on Ignacio Vidal.
Pique’s colourful conversation with the referee was enough to earn him a straight red card, denying him the chance to make a final appearance for his boyhood club. However, the mood in the Barcelona camp improved drastically during the second half after Pedri brought the visitors level and Raphinha came off the bench to nod home a winner in the 85th minute.
The Brazilian’s late goal saw Barca open up a five-point lead over Real Madrid at the La Liga summit in their final fixture ahead of the mid-season break for the World Cup. However, the defending champions have a game in hand, which they will play against Cadiz on Thursday.
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Barcelona’s spirited comeback victory at Osasuna came after Xavi tipped Pique to return to Camp Nou in the future as club president. The pair won numerous La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey titles during their time as teammates but Pique chose to retire after falling out of the starting XI.
“Pique is brave, a winner, a great teammate, and a very intelligent person,” Xavi said of his compatriot. “He has been a great captain for Barca. Gerard can be president of Barca and he can be whatever he wants, because he has plenty of capacity and leadership, no doubt.”
Although Barcelona are flying high in La Liga, they were eliminated from the Champions League after finishing third in their group and will instead take on Manchester United over two legs in February for a place in the Europa League last 16.
