Gerard Pique Open to MLS Move After 2018 World Cup
It looks like FC Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique is not ruling out a move to Major League Soccer (MLS).
According to Spanish magazine Don Balón, Pique will reportedly consider leaving Nou Camp for the United States after the World Cup in 2018 in order to please his wife, Shakira.
"She wants a calmer life away from Catalonia, with Pique often in the public eye due to his status as a footballer and the derogatory comments he regularly makes about Real Madrid," Jack Otway of the Daily Express said in his report.
Well, Pique does enjoy taking swipes at Real Madrid every now and then, and he certainly knows how to fan the flames of controversy with his comments. He recently questioned their "values" and said he would never play for them.
He also has a love/hate relationship with Real Madrid and Spain captain Sergio Ramos and they have a history of heated exchanges. However, the two will always hug and make up when they have to play together for the Spanish national team.
A fresh start elsewhere would be good for Pique and his family. He has been one of the best centre-backs in the world for years now, but Spanish fans tend to see him as some sort of a "villain." Pique will retire from Spain after the 2018 World Cup.
A move to MLS is certainly plausible for Pique and he is open to the idea of playing there before retiring.
"I read that the MLS is the seventh biggest league in terms of stadium attendances, fans are increasingly hooked on soccer in the United States and it would be an attractive option in a few years," Pique said in an interview with MARCA.com last September, via the official MLS website.
"I've always said that I would retire at Barca, but it would be an attractive option in a few years," he continued.
