Gerard Pique on LeBron James, King's League and finding happiness in retirement

Former Barcelona star is in Abu Dhabi to compete in a hybrid basketball-football match

As a player, Gerard Pique won 36 trophies for club and country. Victor Besa / The National

Gerard Pique may be known for his football talent, but he’s about to showcase his skills on the basketball court instead.

The Spaniard is in the UAE capital to participate in a hybrid basketball-football match. It will be held during Fan Appreciation Day at Etihad Arena on Saturday as part of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games weekender. He’ll compete alongside other football greats such as Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Luis Figo, Iker Casillas and Roberto Carlos. Although there’s some tough competition, how does Pique think he’ll fare?

“I don't know the level of the other players," he says with a laugh during an exclusive interview with The National. "Let's see, I'm one of the best, for sure but I don't know if I'm the best."

While he may not be as confident in his basketball ability, Pique found success making a name for himself as a top-notch defender for Barcelona and the Spanish national team. Even though it was football that brought him success, he says he’s always been a basketball fan and even played when he was a child before he ultimately chose to pursue football.

“When I was very young, I was playing football and basketball at the same time. Finally, I decided to go for football,” he says. “It was my decision, but basketball is another sport that I like, and I follow NBA matches.”

His favourite team is the Los Angeles Lakers, who he admits “aren’t having the greatest time” but credits another fellow renowned athlete as to why he enjoys watching them anyway. “I think that LeBron [James] is a machine. He’s 39, still playing at the top level, so it's amazing.”

Since retiring from playing professionally in 2022, Pique has kept busy. While he’s made headlines for a messy split with former partner Shakira, he has found some peace in having more control over what he does in his daily life.

“You change your whole routine. Instead of training in the morning, you do other things or other stuff. But in general, I'm pretty happy,” he says. “Now it's two years after retirement, and I can say that I'm busy, I'm doing a lot of things and I like this life.”

This new life includes creating the King’s League, a seven-a-side football competition that combines the sport with new entertainment formats. He launched the league in January last year and it is currently in its second season.

The league has unique rules such as unlimited substitutions, a golden card system (that provides advantages such as a penalty kick or removing an opposing player for two minutes) and sin bins where players can be temporarily sent off for certain offences.

Matches are live-streamed on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube and feature a mix of ex-professional players and influencers. The idea behind it is to reach a younger audience who are consuming sports entertainment differently. He is proud of how far the league has come, with selling out stadiums as a sign of its popularity.

“I cannot say more good things than this, because at the end of the day, it's been a hell of a journey," he says. "We've sold out stadiums like Camp Nou [Barcelona's stadium] and Atletico Madrid's stadium.”

Following the success of the league’s inaugural season, there are plans to expand. The World Cup is happening for the first time in January and will have Italy playing Spain, Germany and so on.

He adds: “It's the first time that we are doing a competition like this. And after that, we will launch a few leagues in February in different countries, Europe and Brazil. At the end of the day, what we want is to create, really an ecosystem of them, to have big leagues the best team from each league qualifies for the World Cup of clubs that will happen in June.”

Any chance for the league to come to the UAE one day? “We're in conversations,” he says. “We would love to have a league here, like a regional league in Mena, and I hope for next year, we can bring it here.”

In the meantime, as King's League fans in the region await the arrival of a new team to support, Pique is in Abu Dhabi for basketball. Inspired by stars like James, who still competes at a high level despite his age, Pique maintains a strong bond with football, stemming from his illustrious career on the pitch. So, could he ever see himself returning to the field?

“Not really. I love to compete and have that adrenalin of really trying to win,” he says. “When you are at a club like Barca, your obligations are to win every game, and you're playing every three days. At the end of the day, you are exposed to a lot of pressure, but it's fine. It was a great journey.”

Fan Appreciation Day is at Etihad Arena on Saturday, door opens at 3pm, event starts at 4.30pm