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.

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.

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.