Manchester United made me the player I am today, asserts Gerard Pique

The then 17-year-old signed for Manchester United in 2004 but struggled to make too many appearances for the club with Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Gabriel Heinze ahead of him in the pecking order. That caused a few problems for the Spaniard, with him eventually leaving the club in 2008 for Barcelona after making just 13 appearances for the Red Devils.

However, despite his lack of appearances, the now 32-year-old has insisted that without his spell at Old Trafford he would have never become the player he is today. Pique also added that the period in England was tough but learning from two world-class defenders in Ferdinand and Vidic and a world class manager in Sir Alex Ferguson made all the difference in the end.

“When I left my friends there to spend four years at Manchester United it was tough. At the same time that was a great experience for me. I grew up a lot there. I am who I am because of the period I had at Manchester United, even though I didn’t play as much as I wanted to,” Pique told the Observer.

“But in my position, there were two centre-backs who were among the top three in the world at the time [Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic]. But being at home, and having the career I have had at home, has been a great pleasure and I am very proud of it.”

But the move to Barcelona worked out for the Spaniard and he’s won multiple honors with the club since then including three Champions League trophies with a total of 28 trophies. Not only that, Pique’s performances with the La Liga giants saw him become a key part of the Spain national team where the 32-year-old would go on to win Euro 2012 and the 2010 World Cup.

Yet with the Spaniard struggling to make an impact for Barcelona many have suggested potential retirement but the former Manchester United man has rejected that. Instead, Pique has revealed that he has no plans to retire anytime soon but wants to end his career with Barcelona and do it in a way that suits him and the team around him.

“Right now my thoughts are that every year has to be my last year,” he added. “I want to dedicate as much as I can to football. I want to end my career in the best way possible. I don’t know if it will be one more year, two more years, five more years. But I am happy at Barcelona,” added Pique.