The indescribable truth of Shakira's "husband", Gerard Piqué
Lasting relationships are something of a rarity in the celebrity world, but pop icon Shakira is beating the trend. The Colombian singer and her partner, international football star Gerard Piqué, have been together for much of a decade at this point, and (despite some tabloid reports to the contrary), they're still doing well. The couple were all smiles at the 2019 US Open, but it was in the preparation for another huge sporting event that their love affair began.
Shakira recorded the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and Pique was among a group of players invited to participate in the clip. “I wasn't a football fan so I didn't know who he was,” she explained. 60 minutes. “But when I saw the video, I was like, 'Hmm. This one is pretty cute. And then someone decided to introduce us. They had their first son, Milan, in 2013, and welcomed another boy, Sasha, in 2015. The two are already starting to take it out on their father, but what do we know about Pique himself?
The 6'4 ”defender is a superstar in his home country, and he is known the world over as one of the greatest players of his time, but his journey to the pinnacle of the game has not been perfectly smooth . This is the indescribable truth of the often controversial but never boring Gerard Piqué.
Gerard Pique is not really Shakira's husband
Shakira described Gerard Pique as her 'husband' in a January 2020 Instagram video, but the two are not actually married. When she sat down with 60 minutes to promote her Super Bowl halftime show, the "Hips Don't Lie" singer told correspondent Bill Whitaker that she had no interest in becoming Mrs. Gerard. Stung. “To tell you the truth, marriage scares me,” she said. “I don't want him to see me as his wife. I prefer that he sees me as… his lover, his girlfriend. It's like a forbidden little fruit, you know? Interestingly, this isn't the first time Shakira has taken this position with a partner.
Prior to meeting Pique, the former Voice Judge was involved with Argentine entrepreneur Antonio de la Rua, son of the country's former president. They started dating in 2000 and had been dating for over a decade, but she didn't feel the need to make it official. Speaking to United States Today in 2009, Shakira described herself as 'semi-married' to Rua: “We operate as a married couple. We don't need any papers for this.
The singer takes a similar approach in her relationship with Pique, in part because she wants to "keep him on his toes" over the years. “I want him to think that anything is possible based on behavior,” she told Whitaker.
Shakira's "husband" is much younger than her
The fact that Shakira and Gerard Pique share the same birthday (February 2) is quite romantic, of course, but it gets a little less cute when you find out that the sports star is a decade older than her. Speaking to The Scottish Sun, the singer admitted she had her reservations to begin with. "He was only 23 when I met him," Shakira confirmed. “I was concerned about the age gap at 33. However, her worries quickly dissipated and soon after, she wrote a song about falling in love with her baby boy - aptly titled "23".
“’ 23 ’is a very special song,” Shakira told the outlet in 2014, adding, “It has taken me many years to get to where I am in my life now. I was not satisfied or satisfied and I think Gerard was the missing link. Many of Shakira's songs have since been inspired by her relationship with Pique. She confirmed that "The One Thing" is about the soccer star being her destiny, and Shakira refers to their age difference in the song "Me Enamoré". "He's still a kid / But what am I going to do? »The Colombian sings in her mother tongue. "Look, what a beautiful thing / What a little round mouth / I love that little beard. "
Gerard Pique restored Shakira's faith in God
Shakira went to a Catholic school and was raised to believe in God. She released her first two records while still in high school, despite her music teacher refusing to let her join the school choir because she sounded "like a goat," Shakira recalls. in 2014. “It sounds funny now, but back then it was very traumatic,” she said (via Yahoo!). “From the age of 10, I had chosen a career, I knew I wanted to be a singer and this guy wouldn't let me into the school choir. Maybe he was right - Shakira's first two albums bombed.
She took a break to focus on finishing her studies and would of course become a superstar after graduating, but Shakira struggled with her faith in her early days. Nor was it the turnaround in his musical fortune that restored him. “I think if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven by love,” the singer said. It. "… I've always been very religious, and for a few years, maybe because - it sounds so old-fashioned - I didn't feel love the way it was meant to be, I started to think it was." there was no God. And suddenly I met Gerard and the sun is rising. "
Shakira's 'husband' played the pirate king
It's not unusual for football stars to have side gigs (Brazil striker Neymar, for example, has 35 sponsorship deals in total), but few of them take to playing. Shakira's husband but not husband took the plunge in 2012 when he voiced the Pirate King in the Catalan language version of The Pirates! Band of Misfits. The stop-motion film won over critics (it was Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 86 percent) and the Academy, which nominated it for best animated feature. But did working on it give Pique the bug? "No, not really," said the former World Cup athlete FourFourTwo reader asked about a potential future in theater. “It was a lot of fun, though. In fact, maybe. We will see what will happen. "
So what happened? Pique went on to play the character of Cesc Banner in three episodes of the Spanish drama La Riera, and he also did reality TV - the Barcelona defender featured in the MTV Empuje docuseries, which follows the daily lives of famous athletes. . His most recent acting credit to date is the 2017 music video for "Me Enamoré" by Shakira. Interestingly, Pique's Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta voiced a character in the Spanish version of The Pirates! Band of Misfits.
" Who is the best? Pique asked FourFourTwoc’s Andrew Murray, before answering himself. " What kind of question is this ?! To me, for God's sake, come on! Always support each other. "
Gerard Pique is the royalty of Barcelona
Gerard Pique is practically a king in his hometown of Barcelona, where football is less of a sport and more of a way of life. His grandfather was once manager of the city's world-famous football club, and he made sure his grandson was registered as a soci (official club member) on the day he came into the world. Pique was billed as a future Barcelona player as soon as he could kick a ball, and even if that did eventually come true, the strapping defender had to do his utmost.
He played for Barcelona academy as a boy, but Pique knew he would have to look elsewhere for senior action after an embarrassing encounter with Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who was in charge of Barcelona at the time. . According to The Guardian, Pique met van Gaal at a lunch hosted by his grandfather. "He's my grandson, a center-back for Barcelona's youth team," he told van Gaal. The notoriously stern manager looked Pique up and down, then (much to the 14-year-old's surprise) pushed him away. “You are too weak to be a Barcelona defender,” he told Pique. Many football coaches practice difficult love, but it is just plain nasty.
The only former teammate who terrified Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique went from one famous football club to another in search of playing time, but it didn't work out for the Manchester United youngster. He failed to settle in England, partly because he was homesick, partly because he couldn't understand a word from his manager. "The gaffer [Sir Alex Ferguson] spoke very Scottish English which could as well have been Chinese," Pique said (via The Keeper). Ferguson was known for his fiery character behind the scenes, but he was nothing compared to combative midfielder Roy Keane, the only Manchester United player who had absolutely terrified Pique.
Speaking to The Players' Tribune, Pique recalled the time he forgot to turn off his cell phone before a big game. The 18-year-old was already nervous about playing alongside the greatest players of this generation, so the last thing he wanted to do was stand out. Of course, that's exactly what happened - his phone went off in the locker room and Keane allegedly flew in a rage. "Do you know the famous scene with Jack Nicholson in The Shining, when he walks through the door?" This is what it looked like, “recalled Pique (via the Independent). " 'Whose. Bloody. F ** king. Phone. Is it?! "Finally, I spoke, like a little boy. Very softly, I said, “I'm so sorry, this is mine. Roy has lost his mind! »How did Pique react? “I almost screwed up,” he admitted.
Shakira's 'husband' went to Harvard with Katie Holmes
Enrolled in a summer course at Harvard in 2017, Gerard Piqué joined the prestigious Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports program at the prestigious school. Rapper LL Cool J and actor Channing Tatum took the same course the year before, and Pique's class was also full of famous faces, including Katie Holmes. “I am so grateful and excited to be at Harvard Business School with so many brilliant people,” Dawson’s Creek alum wrote on Instagram. Former footballer Rashean Mathis, basketball star CJ McCollum and rugby player Jamie Heaslip were also in the Class of 2017.
For Pique (who taught his teacher some football skills between classes), Harvard was all about preparing for the future. He has already expressed interest in following in his grandfather's footsteps by representing Barcelona at the boardroom level, and according to those who know what that entails, Pique is the 'right fit' for the post of president. "He knows the club, he's a Barcelona fan, he's a player, the best central defender in Barcelona's history, and he has character and the will to work," said former president Joan Laporta. RAC1 (via the Daily Mail). “He showed he was ready. "
Shakira has been targeted by rival football fans
Gerard Pique may be a popular figure in Catalonia, but Barcelona are not the only football team in the region. Barca’s star defender is often criticized by fans of the team’s local rival, Espanyol. It’s nothing unusual for fans to curse opposition players with chants, but in Pique’s case, he’s not the only target. In January 2020, La Liga officials hit Espanyol with disciplinary action after his supporters sang a derogatory song about Shakira a total of 13 times during their match with Barcelona. "The chants were said to have been initiated and engaged by fans of Curva RCDE, an ultra notorious group," Football Espana reports.
It wasn't the first time die-hard Espanyol fans have used the Colombian singer to travel to Pique. The club were fined around $ 26,000 in 2016 after supporters created an insulting banner and unfurled it during a game, knowing it would be seen by TV cameras and, most likely, Shakira. herself. There's nothing Pique can do to stop people bringing cardboard cutouts of his baby mum to the games, but that doesn't mean he can't get his back during interviews - the Barcelona legend stirred the pot when he suggested Espanyol weren't even in Catalonia.
Gerard Pique's practical jokes landed him in hot water
Shakira's beau has a reputation as a serial prankster in the football world, and it is well deserved. Gerard Pique has played tricks on many teammates but, while his fans love his playful streak, his victims don't always see the funny side. The Barcelona defender made headlines in 2014 when, according to a Spanish sports outlet (via the Daily Mail), he decided to set off a stink bomb during a team robbery to Finland. It might sound harmless enough, but it wasn't even a private flight - the angry airline staff apparently had to apologize to other passengers for the unpleasant smell.
The stink bomb incident is just one of many. Pique and his Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi reportedly set a moped on fire because the engine was too strong (the duo reportedly replaced it with the latest model the next day), and it wasn't the first time that he was playing with fire. Pique admitted to setting fire to bespoke shoes belonging to his Manchester United teammate Patrice Evra.
"I went to the showers, made a little bonfire and burned them," Pique explained (via COMME). Evra was not amused, and later revealed how he got his revenge by appearing on the A League Apart quiz show: “I took his shoes off and went to the bathroom, and I'm inside. Did they remain friends? They don't follow each other on Instagram, so read what you want.
He became involved in the Catalan independence controversy
Football is so popular in parts of Europe that it can influence politics, and nowhere is the line between the two blurred more than in Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia. While technically Spain, many locals see Catalonia as a separate entity, and independence debates have raged in recent years. Being Mr Barcelona, it was only a matter of time before Gerard Pique got involved, and he upset a lot of people when he did.
In 2017, the Catalan government announced it would hold an independence referendum, which was quickly declared illegal by Spain's central government. A number of Catalan officials have been arrested and clashes between police and potential voters turned violent, which Pique insisted on Twitter. Writing in Catalan, the athlete offered his support for the referendum using the hashtag #Votarem, which translates to "We will vote". BBC Sport reports. Pique has never confirmed that he will vote for Catalonia to leave Spain if given the opportunity, but fans of the Spanish national team have pursued him anyway.
Pique has been booed by his own supporters in numerous international matches, many of whom consider him anti-Spanish. Even some international teammates have questioned his involvement in politics - Sergio Ramos, who plays for Barcelona's fiercest rivals Real Madrid, said shaking things up on Twitter was "not the best thing to do".
His extracurricular activities caused problems
Gerard Pique is a very busy man, so busy that he usually only sleeps four to five hours a night. According to Forbes, the soccer star starts working on his personal businesses as soon as he's finished his training, but all this extracurricular activity is making Barcelona bosses nervous. Pique's purchase of FC Andorra has led to questions as to whether a player should be allowed to own a football club while he is still playing competitively himself, and he has shocked many people with his involvement in La Decision. The 2018 short documentary, produced by the Pique company, followed wanted striker Antoine Griezmann as he decided to leave longtime club Athletico Madrid for Barcelona. In the end, he stayed in Madrid, which made Pique's participation even more embarrassing.
"We respect Griezmann's decision to renew with Atletico Madrid, just as we respect any player's decision regarding his future," Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre said (via The Sun), before addressing the documentary drama. “We told Pique that his participation caused surprise and unease at the club and among the Barcelona supporters. Reports from Spain suggest the club's top brass are so fed up with Pique's entrepreneurial activities that they have started including so-called 'anti-Pique' clauses in their contracts in 2020, in the hopes that it will. will keep players solely focused on football.
Gerard Pique, Shakira's 'husband', doesn't care about being hated
Gerard Pique has always been a polarizing character, and that won't change anytime soon. Described by Forbes as an “elegant Catalan” [who] has the intelligence to win most arguments and doesn't fit into the “stupid footballer” narrative in any way, “he tends to court jealousy. The fact that he comes home to Shakira at night certainly doesn't help that. Add the fact that Pique isn't afraid to comment on political issues, and it's not hard to see why some people just can't stand the man. Does that bother him? You know enough about Pique at this point to guess the answer.
“I'm not paying attention and I'm having a good time,” Pique said when asked about his enemies during an appearance on Antena 3. El Hormiguero (via World Football), reminding viewers that they don't don't always have to believe what the media tells them. “The world of football is a spectacle,” said Pique. "Everything is a joke, everything you read is a lie ... When we get into a mess, it's because we want to, we want to spice it up. "
The Barcelona star admitted he used to let his detractors bring him down when he was new to the game, but he's too old and wise for that to happen these days: "Now that past. "
