Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said that “It was a round night, especially for Pique“after the Barça central defender played his last game at the Spotify Camp Nou and his team beat Almería 2-0 with goals from Ousmane Dembélé and Frenkie de Jong.
“These are magical nights for the players who have had the opportunity to say goodbye in this way. All the experiences we have had have crossed my mind, especially as colleagues, when we won it all in a golden age. It was exciting. I imagine that he will leave Barça in peace, which is how I felt when I left. With the feeling of having given everything,” added the coach at a press conference.
In addition, Xavi revealed what he said to Piqué in the pre-match talk: “I think he is an extraordinary person, special, different from the others, and that leaves us an impressive legacy. You have to thank him for everything, that’s what I told him.”
Regarding whether Piqué’s goodbye comes at the right time, the coach said that “the decision” is up to the player. “You never know when it’s time. I was about to leave a year before. He has now made the decision and we have to respect it, he has earned it. I have a lot of love for him,” said Xavi.
“You have to reconsider many times when we whistle at footballers, like 15 days ago. Gerard is a ‘culer’ from the cradle and he deserves this farewell. The fact of whistling at the footballers does not help at all”, Xavi wanted to claim.
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On the other hand, about the victory against Almería, the technician considered that “the result was short” and that “the sensations were good to face the last game before the break” for the World Cup, which will be on Tuesday against Osasuna.
Precisely about Ronald Araujo’s options to be in the World Cup, Xavi revealed that “this week” he will speak with the coach Diego Alonso. “In the meeting we will make the final decision. If he wants to travel to Qatar for a psychological issue of being with the national team while he continues with his recovery, we will talk about it”, explained Xavi.