Real Madrid News
Pique opens up on Real Madrid rivalry, Super League project: “Presentation was very poor”
Shortly after completing his retirement, Gerard Pique appeared in front of the media after a while, as he took part in the Twitch stream of Ibai Llanos.
Among many things, the Barcelona legend opened up about the idea of the European Super League while talking about the rivalry he had harbored with Real Madrid during his playing career.
Talking about his Clasico rivalry in the past, Pique said, “I think the line was crossed when the Real Madrid coach physically attacked Tito Villanova. We were so strong in 2010 that the only way to beat us, for Real Madrid, was to play on a pitch other than football.”
Pique, though, added the importance of coming together and gelling with Real Madrid players, especially in 2012 European Championships.
“We won the Euro 2012, I remember that with Xavi, and Iker, we all discussed how to reduce the tension. We had to unite to win,” he added.
Pique went on to offer his opinion on the European Super League, suggesting it is a flawed idea even though he agrees with Florentino Perez for the most part.
“People no longer watch the games, they are on their phones. There are things that Florentino Perez says that are true but I don’t think that the Super League is the solution. The presentation of the Super League was very poor. It surprised me coming from Florentino Perez,” he said.
Pique’s comments come in the midst of his heated confrontation with referee Gil Manzano, who was allegedly insulted by the Barcelona defender during Barça’s recent win over CA Osasuna.
The veteran centre-back was subsequently handed a red card even though he was on the bench, effectively denying him the opportunity to make one final appearance for Barcelona.
Real Madrid are blessed to have the services and loyalty of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. The duo have run the show in the Merengues’ midfield for close to a decade and continue to deliver flawless performances to date.
Of the two, however, it is the Croatian who deserves the higher credit. The veteran is now 37 years of age, yet dominates the middle of the park with grace and poise like none other.
Stephen Estuaqio, an FC Porto player and Canada International, spoke earlier this week about why he considered Luka Modric to be a special player and compared him with Kevin de Bruyne to support his stance.
“I played against De Bruyne, but I ran behind Modrić. I couldn’t play against him. It’s crazy how he dictates the game and controls everything. It was a lesson for me,” he said on The 90th minute on Youtube.
With his contract running out next season, Real Madrid are looking to renew his deal by one year come June. Yet, it is difficult to see him continue beyond next season and his imminent departure will mark the end of an era at the club.
Thus, Modric could be an altered role come next season. With a young midfielder, possibly Jude Bellingham set to arrive, the veteran could move into a mentorship role with the occasional appearance in big games.
This season, however, Carlo Ancelotti will continue to use him as one of the backbones of the side and deploy the maestro in the must-win fixtures coming up later this month.
At 37 years of age, Modric has started 16 La Liga games over 24 appearances this season in the competition. He has scored four goals and provided three assists in that process in addition to creating eight big chances with an average of 1.8 key passes per game.
