Barcelona legend Gerard Piqué has revealed how his relationship with former manager Pep Guardiola changed once the defender started dating popstar Shakira.
Speaking to Spanish sport newspaper Marca, the 36 year old said changes in his personal life, as well as the club's rivalry with Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid, saw his friendship with Guardiola strain.
"We reached an important point of tension with him, and with the dressing room in general," he said. "The rivalry with Jose Mourinho was very exhausting.
Pep wanted absolute control of everything that happened. I started dating Shakira and the relationship with him changed- now the relationship is perfect."
Piqué and Guardiola enjoyed an incredibly successful time together at Camp Nou, winning three consecutive La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues.
However, the former has revealed that he was close to leaving the club in the summer of 2011, just after Barcelona had completed a domestic and European double. He says this was because of the intensity of Guardiola's methods.
"I had a lot of pressure," Piqué continued. "I felt that in training I had to do everything perfect. If there was a moment in which I thought about leaving Barcelona, it was that season (the summer of 2011)."
The Spaniard is still with Shakira after over a decade. They were named in Forbes' 'World's Most Powerful Couples' of 2020 and have two sons together. The defender has also appeared in one of Shakira's most successful music videos, 'Waka Waka', a tune written for the 2010 World Cup.
It's fair to say that Guardiola and Mourinho's relationship isn't quite as rosy. Despite working together previously at Barcelona, with the latter acting as a translator for Sir Bobby Robson, the pair clashed when Guardiola's Barca played Mourinho's Madrid four times in 18 days. This included a Copa Del Rey Final, which Madrid won 1-0.
Things also got heated the following summer, with Mourinho poking Guardiola's assistant Tito Villanova in the eye during a scuffle in the Spanish Super Cup Final. Tempers have also flared between the two when Mourinho headed to Inter Milan and in the Premier League, with both managers locking horns whilst at Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham respectively.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Barcelona, Guardiola, Mourinho, Real Madrid