Gerard Pique has unarguably become an icon for football club Barcelona. He is as good as it gets when it comes to center-backs. The Spaniard has had an extremely successful career not just with his club but with his international side as well. The defender ended up winning the Euros two times in 2008 and in 2012 and he also won the World Cup in 2010, with Spain’s golden generation, as he was one of the main center-backs of the team alongside former captain Carles Puyol and rival Sergio Ramos.
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The 34-year-old has had a very decorated club career too. He has won a total of 4 UEFA Champions League, one with Manchester United in 2008 and 3 with Barcelona’s golden generation. Pique has also won the La Liga a grand total of 8 times with Barcelona and he has also won one Premier League with Sir Alex’s Manchester side. Be it international or club career, the player is one of the most decorated players of all time and it will take a lot for Barcelona to replace him.
Pique is an icon for the Catalans, he’s as good as it gets when it comes to young and talented La Masia graduates. Fantastic under Pep Guardiola, exquisite under the likes of Luis Enrique, the player has shown diversity and he has also shown that he’s capable of working successfully under any manager or under any given circumstances.
Barcelona need to find a successor for Gerard Pique
It will be a massive loss for the Blaugrana when his time comes to depart. The fans too will be extremely disheartened to lose such a player but at 34 years of age, the veteran defender will soon be hanging his boots from professional football. Hence, here are 5 players who can ideally replace Gerard Pique at the Nou Camp.
#1 Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City
Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte has been heavily linked with a move to the Nou Camp. His close friend at City Eric Garcia has already moved to the Catalan side for a free transfer this season. According to many trusted journalists such as Manchester’s Sam Lee, it is the player’s intention to leave Man City and head out for a new venture. The player is reportedly keen on joining Barcelona as a possible destination.
Just recently Laporte had switched his nationality from France to Spain in order to earn his first international cap. He is now the main center back at Spain and so far he’s fitting perfectly as evident with his fantastic campaign at the Euros with Spain’s national team. He also scored a goal in Spain’s Euro victory over Slovakia. He is already a Spanish international and many believe that a move to La Liga is inevitable for the player.
The 26-year-old would be a perfect replacement for Gerard Pique. Just like the legendary defender, Laporte is brilliant on the ball. He’s extremely good at moving the ball around, moving forward with the ball, and progressing the ball for more attacking play. He’s solid when it comes to making tackles and backtracking to stop counterattacks. He is also extremely good in the air. If he is trained a little more physically, he can be the ideal replacement.
The Frenchman has already won the Premier League 3 times with Guardiola and he’s played a massive role at Manchester City. However, this season he looks to have been sidelined as England’s John Stones and Portugal’s Ruben Dias look to be in superb form. Laporte is the ideal left center-back in this market and Barcelona should snap him up quickly as he is interested in joining the club and they can also utilize their good relationship with City to land the player. Aymeric Laporte would be a gorgeous addition to Ronald Koeman’s squad, he would solidify the defense much more than now.
#2 Pau Torres of Villarreal CF
Villareal’s Pau Torres is yet another ideal replacement that Barcelona can look into. The player is a starter for Spain at just 24. Other clubs like Manchester United are heavily interested in the player and are looking to make a move on him. However, there have been many rumors that the player is also interested in joining Barcelona. He is also a left center-back, he’s left-footed and he would be an ideal fit for Barcelona.
Given that the player already has experience in La Liga, he would be extremely useful at the Nou Camp. He’s fantastic at defending and aerial battles. His best quality is that he is calm and collected as a center-back and his decision-making skills are very good. This kind of mentality from a player is extremely important when it comes to the knockout stages of a cup competition, whether it is domestic or European.
Pau Torres is very good at moving the ball around, top-notch at passing and build-up play. He’s very good when it comes to interceptions and breaking opposition build-up with constant pressing and focus. He led his team to victory against Manchester United in the Europa League finals this year, and was a critical part of the squad that landed Villareal’s first-ever trophy. That is a massive achievement for a Spanish side with less budget and a side that finished 7th in the league. To beat England’s runners up is a massive achievement for the team and the players.
The 24-year-old would be perfect for Barcelona and the style of football they play. He is not yet world-class but given his young age he has time on his side and he will also receive the world’s best coaching at Barcelona. He has the potential to become one of the very best and he would be an ideal replacement for Gerard Pique, a long-term replacement.
#3 Matthijs De Ligt of Juventus
Juventus star Matthijs De Ligt can be yet another potential replacement for Gerard Pique. Ever since his Ajax days, the Dutchman was linked with a potential move to Barcelona. His former teammate Frenkie De Jong did move to Barcelona after the 18/19 season but the defender chose to move to Italy and play for Juventus.
The center-back is currently 21 years old and he made his debut as a 16-year-old for Ajax. He led his team to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the 18/19 season and for such a young defender and for such a youth-filled squad, it was a massive achievement. They lost the tie to Tottenham Hotspur and that was the end of their fairytale that season. But after a phenomenal campaign, the player was heavily linked with moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona but he ended up moving to the Old Lady with his agent quoting his desire to play regular minutes at his next club.
De Ligt had a pretty decent season with the Italian side but struggled with the Netherlands squad as they made an exit from the competition after losing to the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals after De Ligt received a red card for a silly tackle. However, a patch of bad form and mentality does not define a player, what defines a player is his ability to come back to the very top. Barcelona would be an ideal place for him to thrive and it won’t be surprising to anyone if he does make the move in the next few seasons.
The 21-year-old is brilliant at slide tackling, man-marking and he’s a major aerial threat. He’s brilliant at backtracking and covering lost ground while defending counterattacks. He is also very good at irritating the opposition with his constant pressing and aims for perfection. He’s obviously different from Gerard Pique but he would be a massive addition to this Barcelona team and he would be a huge upgrade considering the players they currently have in the team.
The only issue for Barca is that De Ligt will not be very cheap and one can expect the same with Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte. These are well-established center-backs in world football and Barcelona are not the only one interested in signing them. They’re brilliant gems and the teams they are at now will not let them go without a fight. Matthijs De Ligt would be a major signing for the Catalans, it would be extremely good for both parties given the presence of a Dutch coach and teammates. The Dutchman will get a place to have a fresh start to his career and the club will get a young defender filled with potential and longevity.
#4 Alessio Romagnoli of AC Milan
The AC Milan captain has been heavily linked with a move to the Nou Camp for a whole year now. Many reports have suggested that Ronald Koeman has been heavily interested in the Italian. It is understood that Barcelona see Romagnoli as a long-term signing, they believe that the player will do brilliantly at La Liga.
The Blaugrana are reportedly very interested in landing the 26-year-old center-back according to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato. Barcelona will have to pay a simple fee in order to land the player. Romagnoli is a solid center-back. Of Course, he has not had a lot of success in Milan in recent years as he has been the victim of multiple injuries that ruined his form. However, everyone is aware of his underlying potential. He’s very much capable of being one of the best center-backs in the world.
Barcelona can be the ticket to his success. He will receive quality training and he will get to improve as a player. Compared to the other defenders, Romagnoli will probably not be as expensive, as he currently plays for Milan who are not at their best financially. However, the team still managed to secure the top 4 in Serie A this season. It’s a massive achievement for the team given that they were struggling in the Italian league in recent years.
He’s good on the ball, he’s brilliant at clearing set pieces be it a corner or a free-kick. One of the major problems at Barcelona is their defending during set pieces and corners. They seem to keep possession throughout the game and concede at set-piece moments. Romagnoli will be a perfect addition to this Barcelona squad in order to do the basic defending that is required. He’d be a wonderful player who could fill in for Pique as of now, and not only that, he will come at a very cheap price too.
#5 Eric Garcia of Barcelona
Last but not the least, is former Manchester City man Eric Garcia. The La Masia graduate left for City aged 15. However, he has finally returned to the Nou Camp with proper experience and training under Josep Pep Guardiola.
The defender, also like Pique, spent a good amount of time in the Premier League during their youth years. Eric Garcia ended up winning the league with Manchester City multiple times. He’s a well-established center-back now, he is also young and could be the ideal replacement for Pique.
Just like Gerard, Eric Garcia is brilliant at passing. He’s very good on the ball. His long passes are a huge addition to his game. While improving as a player under Pep Guardiola, his qualities were just made better in training. He started for Manchester City on many occasions and he even made many important UEFA Champions League appearances for them ever since the 2019/20 season. He’s young and vibrant and he will be a massive addition for the Catalan giants.
Eric Garcia was offered a new deal at City but just like Guardiola stated, it was his intention to leave the club and head back to Spain. Hence, Barca landed the defender for a free transfer given that his contract was up. Given Barca’s current financial situation, the player also agreed to be paid half of what he was making in Manchester, which only shows how keen he is on returning home. However, it should not be a problem for Garcia given that he will probably be getting regular first-team football at the club which was impossible for him at City. The likes of John Stones, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and Nathan Ake are all preferred over Eric at Manchester and a move to the Nou Camp will guarantee him regular minutes.
Given his physical attributes and given his style of play, he’s made for La Liga and not the Premier League. He struggled to be top-notch in the league given the physicality of the other players. He’s young, so these problems are just temporary. He’s only going to get better with time and proper coaching at Barcelona. He is currently the ideal replacement for Gerard Pique. The veteran is a great inspiration for Garcia, as Pique started as a young man at Barcelona and he made his way to the very top.
Which of these defenders do you want to see replace Gerard Pique?