Gerard Piqué
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| Gerard Piqué | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gerard Piqué Bernabeu | |
| Date of birth | February 2, 1987 (age 20) | |
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain | |
| Height | 191cm (6' 3'') | |
| Playing position | Defender | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Real Zaragoza | |
| Number | 18 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 2001-2003 | FC Barcelona B | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2003-2004 2004- 2006- |
FC Barcelona B Manchester United → Real Zaragoza (loan) |
3 (0) 12 (1) |
| National team2 | ||
| Spain U19 Spain U21 |
||
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu (born February 2, 1987 in Barcelona) is a Spanish football player. He was purchased by Manchester United from FC Barcelona B on July 1, 2004. Piqué is a talented young defender who plays regularly for the reserve side. He has performed consistently at this level and many fans have high hopes for him. He made his first appearance with Manchester United on October 26, 2004 against Crewe Alexandra. He has also played for the Spanish U-17 and U-19 teams.
The fact that Piqué's surname is 'Bernabeu' has lead to some confusion regarding his origins, as shares his name with the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid. The discrepancy arises from the fact that the stadium was named in honour of Santiago Bernabéu, a former President of the Madrid club. The name Bernabeu is well-known in Barcelona, Piqué being a grandson of the celebrated former vicepresident of FC Barcelona, Amador Bernabeu.
Piqué made his Premiership bow in October as a late replacement for John O'Shea, in a 3-1 victory at Sunderland. He made his full debut for Manchester United on the 29th of March 2006 against West Ham in a FA Premier League game at Old Trafford playing at right-back, as Gary Neville was unavailable through injury. The even managed to get a shot in from 40 yards out on goal which had to be fantasically saved to stop Gerard scoring on his full Premierleague debut.
His performances, most notably in the reserve team, have earned him a new contract, signed in February 2005 to run until the summer of 2009.
He currently wears the number 28 shirt for Manchester United and the number 18 shirt for Zaragoza.
Piqué was a member of the Spanish under 19 side that won the Uefa Under-19 Championship on the 29th of July. They beat Scotland under 19s 2-1 in the final with Piqué putting in a strong performance in defence, hitting the crossbar with a header, and also providing his team's second goal for teammate Alberto Bueno.
On August 4th 2006 Spanish La Liga outfit Real Zaragoza secured Piqué on a season-long loan. The Catalan must feature in at least 20 games for the Estadio La Romareda outfit in a deal which could work out well for both sides. [1][2]
[edit] References
- ^ Pique seals Real deal, skysports.com, August 4, 2006
- ^ Zaragoza's Pique: My future is with Man Utd, ontheminute.com, January 30, 2007
[edit] External links
| Real Zaragoza - Current Squad |
|---|
|
1 César | 2 Diogo | 3 Aranzábal | 4 Cuartero | 5 Oscar | 6 G. Milito | 7 Movilla | 8 Aimar | 9 García | 10 D'Alessandro | 11 Juanfran | 13 Martínez | 14 Gustavo Nery | 15 Lafita | 16 Celades | 17 Éwerthon | 18 Piqué | 19 César | 20 Longás | 21 Zapater | 22 D. Milito | 23 Sergio | 24 Chus | Manager: Fernández |
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