Barcelona legend Gerard Pique announces retirement from professional football

Barcelona's Gerard Pique announced his reirement on Thursday after a decorated career. "Saturday's match (against Almeria) will be my last at the Camp Nou," the 35-year-old posted on Twitter. The defender bows out with three Champions League titles for his club and the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 with Spain. "I wanted to tell you that I've decided the moment has come to end this journey," he said in a video clip of the star watching images of himself as a small boy wearing the Barcelona shirt, or chasing after autographs.

There's no other team after Barca," he added. "I'm going to become a super fan, I'll be supporting the team and pass on my love for Barca to my son. And sooner or later, I'll be back," he concluded. Pique is the ex-husband of Colombian superstar Shakira. In June, Shakira and Pique announced they were calling time on their relationship of more than a decade. The 45-year-old "Hips don't Lie" singer is one of the biggest names in the global music industry and has sold more than 60 million albums. The couple share two sons and had been living together for years on the outskirts of Barcelona.