Milestone: Gerard Pique registers 600 appearances for Barcelona

Gerard Pique against Osasuna reached an important landmark in his illustrious career. The lifelong fan of the Blaugrana, Pique, registered his 600th appearance for the club on Sunday. He becomes only the fifth player in Barca’s history to reach this milestone, and trails behind only Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets in the number of total appearances for the club.

Since his return from Manchester United in 2008, Pique has been a vital cog in Barca’s defense and was part of the most successful era in the club’s history. In his 600 matches, he has registered an impressive 410 victories and 30 titles for the club, which includes 8 league titles, 3 UEFA Champions Leagues, 7 Copa Del Reys, 6 Spanish Super Cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups, and 3 FIFA Club World Cups. He is joint-third in the list of players with the most titles with Busquets. Only Messi and Iniesta have more titles than him for the club.

In his 14 seasons with the club, Pique has also been known for his knack for scoring some vital goals. He has, as of now, registered 53 goals, including 16 strikes in the Champions League- a record for a defender. His goal and celebration in the 2-6 win at the Bernabeu still remain one of the most iconic images in El Classico history.

"“The day I stop playing for Barcelona, I’ll quit football, I’ll never play for another team,” Pique said last summer. (Source: Marca)"

This season, Pique has been in decent form, especially since the arrival of Xavi as the manager. His partnership with Ronald Araujo in central defense has been key in the recent good performances of the club.

Even in his mid-30s, Pique remains a vital cog in Xavi’s system and a great leader to groom the talented youngsters of the club. Come May, he may add the UEFA Europa League to his long list of trophies to complete the full set of both club and international titles.