It was an unspeakable custom until today, which opens this column. When I lived in Johannesburg and I was cleaning in my South African house, I mitigated the laziness that caused me to order, sweep and mop with the motivation of an incorrigible fanatic: I would place the laptop in the middle of the living room and, while I was cleaning, I would put on the entire game, with the comments from RAC1, from 5 to 0 against Mourinho at the Camp Nou or from 2 to 6 at the Bernabeu due to Piqué's goal.
I lived in South Africa for almost six years, so imagine the turra: I watched those games dozens of times and I still know sections of the broadcast by heart. I swept the corners and advanced to the cry of Joan Maria Pou. "Tití l'has de fer, Tití l'has de fer!", and the Frenchman who played in a tuxedo placed it on Casillas' long post to tie the game.
There was only one moment when he stopped everything he was doing to attend to the images with all five senses. As soon as Eto'o lined up the band and Roger Saperas said "look at Piqué!", He put the mop away and approached me to see the eternal goal of the three. I memorized Pou's outburst: "I didn't grow up, I didn't grow up, I didn't grow up! Piqué has fet the sisè to the Bernabéu! Sis al Bernabeu, sis al Bernabeu, sis al Bernabeu i l'ha fet Piqué!" The most iconic goal by the best centre-back in the history of Barça, who formed an unbeatable duo for quality, triumphs and complicity with Carles Puyol, sums up the essence of the Catalan's career: daring, cheeky, happy, roguish, superb, brave and, above all, culé.
That day, Piqué was all of us. In his surprise farewell video this week, the Blaugrana center-back confessed that as a child he did not want to be a footballer, he wanted to be a Barça player. That night in May 2009, Piqué went on the attack like all Blaugrana supporters have ever dreamed of: against Madrid, at his house and to put the two to six.
Eight years ago, his friend Puyol showed a deep love for the Blaugrana club by giving up a two-year contract and forgiving the club ten million euros. The one from Pobla felt that he could not perform at the level, he was an example and that is why today he is a legend. He was captain.
Gerard Piqué yesterday said goodbye to Barça and hung up his boots with the Camp Nou surrendered at his feet because he has known how to leave well to be able to return. He tried to win the title on the field and, when he saw that he was not enough to convince Xavi, he separated from him and broke his contract. It is probably an intelligent move on a path to the presidency that had been clouded since the Griezmann no documentary or the commission scandal with Rubi, but above all it is a gesture of greatness that places the defender in the realm of legends. Piqué is a culé, he has known how to leave on time and now he is a myth. The eternal central from two to six.
