Gerard Pique talks Barcelona, Messi, Ronaldo, Guardiola, La Masia, Florentino Perez | OneFootball

Gerard Pique is set to present the Italian Kings League next Monday in Turin. Ahead of this event, the former Barcelona defender is spending his time in Italy, promoting his event.

As part of this promotion, Pique recently spoke to Corriere Dello Sport (h/t SPORT), discussing many things including Lionel Messi, Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola and even Florentino Perez.

Pique on the identity of Barcelona

First up, though, Pique took the time to explain what Barcelona are and how it compares to other clubs in the world.

“It’s different from all the clubs in the world. Not only because its ownership is divided among 140,000 members,” he said.

“Milan, Inter, Juventus, United, Chelsea, PSG or Bayern only belong virtually to their fans. The objective is to maintain this unique condition, although these years we are not having a good time financially,” he added.

Pique on Florentino Perez & Kings League

Speaking of ownership, Pique also talked about Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, whose name was recently added to Real Madrid Sports City.

“He’s very powerful. He has their battles, his rivals, his Super League is still alive,” he said.

Talking about the creation of the Kings League, Pique admitted a lot of ideas do match Florentino’s ideals.

“In recent years with Barça, I realised that I was watching less and less football and we thought about creating something to attract young people. I have to say that we succeeded. We use football, because it is the most followed sport, and we apply the rules of video games,” he said.

Pique is currently promoting the Kings League (Photo by Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images For Sportel)

“The intensity of the matches is our hallmark and the younger crowd feels involved. 90 minutes are long and many young people find it difficult to follow a traditional game.

“We adapt football to something shorter, much shorter, but very demanding: in two halves of 20 minutes everything happens very quickly,” he added.

Pique on Messi, Ronaldo & Guardiola

Pique went on to talk about his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi and his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.

“It was always different. Cristiano was the best of humans, Leo does not belong to this planet. I saw him train every day doing amazing things, there would be no other with his speed of thought,” Pique said.

“He arrived at the age of thirteen and played in the same way both in the academy and with the first team,” he added.

The Barcelona defensive legend also talked about Pep Guardiola, who is poised to leave Manchester City at the end of the season.

“We had incredible talents, but the most extraordinary thing was the combination with Pep. We arrived together, me as a player and him as a coach. There were Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, and Busquets, all made at La Masia,” he said.

Talking about the connection that the Barcelona team had, Pique added, “We had always known each other and everything was natural.

As for Pep, he said, “On a tactical and strategic level, he is a genius, he knows how to read games, he gives you the necessary tools to attack and defend. And in the transmission of the motivational message he is unattainable, he keeps concentration high for years.”

Pique on returning to football

Finally, on the subject of returning to football, Pique admitted that he is not interested in becoming a coach in the future.

“Later, perhaps, I will return to football doing something different. I’m not interested in being a coach, twenty years of routine have saturated me. I needed to change,” he said.

“Many years between United and Barça, playing every three days, make you end up saturated. I have beautiful memories, I was lucky and I won a lot and I fulfilled my dream as a child, to play at Camp Nou,” he concluded.