Gerard Pique breaks down in tears leaving the pitch as a Barcelona player one final time

Gerard Pique broke down in tears after being substituted in his final match as a Barcelona player against Almeria.

On Thursday, the 35-year-old Pique announced he would be bringing his illustrious career to a close. He confirmed Saturday's clash with Almeria would be his last, meaning he had one more run out at the Spotify Camp Nou as captain.

Pique started the game alongside Marcos Alonso in central defence, lasting 83 minutes before being replaced by Andreas Christensen.

When number three flashed up on the board, that's when Pique was overwhelmed.

Pique embraced the referee before being swamped by his Barcelona teammates. The centre back handed the captain's armband to Frenkie de Jong and received a hug from longtime teammate Jordi Alba.

Teenage duo Gavi and Pedri were also quick to run into Pique's arms. As he left the pitch, he waved to every stand as supporters let out a huge shout of support. Check out the footage below.

Gerard Piqué bows out for the last time in front of the Barcelona fans 🔵🔴

Emotional scenes as a career full of incredible Camp Nou moments comes to a close 😢

The end of an era 👏 pic.twitter.com/lq1aWAkal7

— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) November 5, 2022

In all, Pique made 615 appearances for the Catalan giants, winning eight La Liga titles plus three Champions Leagues.

On the international stage, he won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 with Spain. In that time, he earned 102 caps for his country.

Fans have reacted to Pique's retirement and they believe he could be the finest defender of his generation.

One person said: "This feels like the end of an era."

A second commented: "He still feels underrated even though he's won everything."

Someone put: "Even got me emotional this."

While a fourth added: "It felt like the world stopped inside the Camp Nou. Got goosebumps."

Barcelona won the game 2-0 thanks to second half goals from Ousmane Dembele and de Jong.

The Blaugrana are now top of La Liga, albeit it could be briefly. Bitter rivals Real Madrid have a chance to return to the summit if they defeat Rayo Vallecano on Monday.