Xavi Hernandez, the coach of the Spanish club Barcelona, has joined the ranks of those opposing Gerard Pique, the team's defender and second captain, after Pique complained about his lack of playing minutes. The former teammate's coach made it clear that Pique would play less in the future than ever before, indicating a noticeable tension between the two former colleagues.
Pique has not started any match for Barcelona this season and has become the fifth option in defense following Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, and Andreas Christensen.
The Catalan newspaper "Sport" revealed on Monday that 35-year-old Gerard Pique expressed his frustration over his limited playing time following the team's defeat against Bayern Munich. Xavi, who overheard Pique's complaint, became furious and confronted him, stating, "And now you will play less than you used to."
The relationship between the coach and the seasoned defender is reportedly very tense, and the club also wishes to eliminate Pique's hefty salary, alongside the debts owed to him (52 million euros) representing unpaid wages.
Jordi Alba, the team's third captain, faces similar treatment from Xavi, as he has also been kept on the bench this season, allowing young Alejandro Balde to start, and in the matchup against Bayern Munich, Xavi brought on new signing Marcos Alonso.
Pique and Xavi played together at Barcelona from 2008 until 2015, when Xavi left to complete the remainder of his playing career at Al Sadd in Qatar. Xavi is steadily implementing his plan with the club to gradually remove the old guard from "Camp Nou," and it appears that Gerard Pique, who has faced troubles over recent months, is the first player to be affected by this strategy.
Pique began this summer by separating from his partner, Colombian singer Shakira, after being accused of infidelity, followed by indications of a legal dispute over the custody of their children. Subsequently, the media began focusing on his private life with his new girlfriend, prompting him to issue an official statement requesting that the invasion of his privacy cease.
