Gerard Pique to quit Spain team because of shirt sleeves controversy. Kevin Beirne. Gerard Pique is not afraid of bold fashion choices. Photo via UItraSuristic.
Johnny Sexton presented a signed Ireland jersey for family of late Sean Wainui. Late drama in Tipperary as Ballyea win without Tony Kelly. Full Ireland ratings as All Blacks battered by ferocious, brilliant performance. Representing the national team is one thing, but Pique and Ramos are worlds apart on how they are perceived by fans. It's not a question of quality or longevity, success or even that they play for opposing teams: no, Pique is vocally pro-Catalan independence, going as far as to plant a flag in the middle of the pitch after a Champions League final, and for some, it's a step too much to take.
Booed by his own national team's fans for his beliefs and his willingness to openly admit a love of seeing Real Madrid fail, Pique was heavily targeted in and and announced, per the Guardian , that he would retire from Spain duty after the World Cup in Pique has over 80 caps for Spain, but he also represents Catalonia when time and opportunity allow. Ramos, on the other hand, is merely captain of Spain, captain of Real Madrid.
Above all the hyperbole and comment, media suggestion and back-and-forth nature of conversations played out in the public domain, one constant remains: the actual ability of these two players. They're not just defenders at big clubs, they're the two key centre-backs at two of the biggest clubs on the planet, and they mix technical ability with aggression.
They are so high-profile because, in front of everything else, they put winning trophies, over and over, again and again. The World Cup, league titles, silverware in Europe and beyond; Pique and Ramos know how to make their team do whatever it takes to succeed in any given game and how to do it so frequently across an entire league campaign that they are the ones celebrating in the end.
Late winning goals, tremendous defensive work, leadership quality and plenty more besides: It's their footballing ability that creates the interest in their personas, and above all else, it's their quality that makes them so entertaining, and it's their desire to be the best and see their team win that makes them so relatable and so watchable, on and off the pitch.
Enjoy our content? We spoke recently and he was not fully recovered. He had some discomfort from his hip injury. He wants to keep coming with the national team, but at this moment we thought he should not come. Barcelona's once-capped Marc Bartra has been included, as well as Napoli's Raul Albiol, and Del Bosque admitted centre-back was a problem position for the team, saying he wanted to see how San Jose looked at close quarters. This is a squad for the present, but looking to the future and the European Championship in two years' time.
New Chelsea striker Costa has been named in the squad despite an apparent hamstring injury which endangers his participation in his club's Premier League game at Everton on Saturday. Manchester United's Ander Herrera and Valencia's Rodrigo might also have been given first senior call-ups but for injury issues, Del Bosque said. Rodrigo it seems has a light muscular issue, so we have not called him up.
Long-serving captain Iker Casillas has been included in the squad, with Del Bosque now faced with a decision over whether to choose the Real Madrid player or Manchester United's David de Gea for the upcoming games. Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Spain drop Pique, Costa in. Croatia edge Russia to reach World Cup finals. Mbappe nets four as France book WC place. Busquets calls Alves' return to Barcelona 'a joy'. Belgium book World Cup place in win.
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