Gerard Piqué sets Spain retirement date amidst criticism for his political views

Gerard Piqué is, by any measure, one of Spain’s greatest ever players. He’s also Barcelona’s chief anti-Madrid troll and vocally pro-Catalonia, which has made him unpopular with a certain subsection of fans. That seems to have contributed to his decision to retire from international soccer after the 2018 World Cup, when he’ll be 31 years old.

“I always give everything I have on the field,” said Piqué, “but there are people who think it’s better if I’m not here. It’s not a ‘heat of the moment’ decision, I’ve given a lot of thought to this. It’s not because of what happened today, it’s because I always give my best on the field and, although there are some people who have thanked me, some don’t think it’s OK for me to be here.”

The latest controversy that Piqué was referring to was the criticism he received for cutting off the sleeves on his shirt. He says he cut them off because they were bothering him, but some fans were offended because the part he cut off had the colors of the Spanish flag. Because of Piqué‘s previous pro-Catalonia comments, the move was taken by many to be a political statement, which Piqué refutes.

And now, thanks to political disagreements, Spain is going to lose a great player while he still has plenty left to give.

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