From then on he passed through the various under-age levels, picking up titles along the way and winning plaudits in all age categories (Alevín A, Infantil B and A, Cadete B and A and Juvenil B and A). When playing at Cadete B level Tito Vilanova was his manager, and he will meet up with Vilanova once again on his return to the first team. In all this time of development and learning, Gerard Piqué showed a great ability to adapt to different positions on the field and gained a reputation for goal scoring, despite his defensive position.
At the end of the 2003/04 season, Gerard Piqué took a break from his life as an azulgrana and left for Manchester United. He made his debut for the English side on 26 October, only three weeks after arriving, in a Carling Cup match against Crewe Alexandra. He was also with Alex Ferguson’s team for the 2005/06 season before being loaned out to Real Zaragoza for the 2006/07 season.
In his only season with the Aragon side, Piqué played quite a lot as a defensive midfielder in front of the back four. The catalan played 22 league games, eighteen of which he started, and scored to goals. During this time he played alongside Gabriel Milito, who he will also meet up with again on his return to Barça.
Season 2007/08 saw Piqué return to Manchester United and he was able to celebrate the double of Premiership and Champions League. He had a memorable season in the Champions League, especially in the initial league phase, scoring two goals.
With regard to his international experience, Piqué is a regular for the U-21 side, as he was with the younger under-age teams. He played in the 2007 U-20s World Cup in Canada, the 2006 U-19s European Championships in Poland (which Spain won) and the 2004 U-17s European Championships in France (which Spain finished as runners-up).
No comments:
Post a Comment