Pique backed to become Barcelona president in the future by La Liga supremo

Reacting to the announcement of Gerard Pique retiring, La Liga head honcho Javier Tebas has claimed that he sees the veteran defender becoming the president of the Catalan club in the future.

Pique confirmed late on Thursday that he will be hanging up his boots imminently, with tomorrow’s clash against UD Almeria being his final home game for the Blaugrana.

Even though he had seen his role diminish in the side, the 35-year-old’s sudden announcement still came as a major shock. But the veteran centre-half insisted that it was not goodbye forever as he would return to the club in the future in some capacity.

And, Tebas has backed Pique to become the president of Barcelona in the future. Speaking to COPE (h/t ESPN), the La Liga president said:

“I have no doubt. He has three qualities to become Barcelona president. He has been at the club for 25 years. He knows the world of football as a player, and he knows the industry of football and sports as a businessman.”

Highlighting what makes Pique suitable for the role, Tebas added: “He knows they are very different facets. He’s had the experience of decision-making as a businessman, with his success and failures, and he can become a great president of Barcelona. I believe he can. I believe he has the capacity to do so.”

“He is very young, and he has many years to become Barcelona president,” Tebas said. “He knows you need to have the experience to take on the role of president of one of the biggest clubs, if not among the top two clubs in the world.”

Pique, who currently co-owns Spanish lower league club FC Andorra, has previously talked about his desire to preside over Barcelona in the future.

For now, though, he will be hoping to deliver a strong performance in his final match at Camp Nou on Saturday night, where he will, no doubt, be given a rousing reception from the fans.