End of career in tears: Müller bows to Piqué with moving words

Created: 07/11/2022 17:19

By: Philipp Kuserau

Thomas Müller and Gerard Piqué faced each other in numerous duels.

© kolbert-press/Christian Kolbert via www.imago-images.de

Gerard Piqué and Thomas Müller have often faced each other as opponents in the past.

At the end of the Catalan's career, the Bavarian veteran also spoke up.

Munich – Tears flowed in Barcelona last weekend.

Around 92,000 fans bid farewell to a club legend at the sold-out Camp Nou on Saturday.

Gerard Piqué surprisingly announced his retirement just days before the game against UD Almeria.

Saturday's home game should be his last for Barca.

“It was a great day.

It's a pleasure to say goodbye in this way," Piqué said to the supporters after the end of the game.

Piqué captained the side with striker Robert Lewandowski for the very last time.

After 84 minutes he was substituted amid tears and thunderous applause from the fans.

Hardly a dry eye remained that evening in view of the farewell of an absolute club icon.

“Ultimately, a career consists of many years, many games.

(...) Titles are numbers, metal, but what remains are the experiences.

The truth is that I never dreamed of an ending like this.

I never thought of leaving.

I always thought: one more year.

Things happen a certain way.

I've always been very honest with myself. To see if I would quit or not.

Those six months were very difficult and I think it showed.

Today was a liberation.”

Piqué plays the last game of his career - Thomas Müller sends farewell greetings

To say goodbye, all Barca players came together after the final whistle and solemnly threw the 35-year-old defender several times into the evening sky of the Camp Nou.

The Catalans also climbed to the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Almeria - so the atmosphere was correspondingly exuberant.

However, Real Madrid have a chance to pass Barca again on Monday.

The end of Piqué's career after 14 years in Barca dress moved the entire football world.

Former teammates like Sergio Ramos, Andrés Iniesta congratulated Barcelona-born Piqué on his career.

But former opponents like Thomas Müller also said goodbye to Piqué.

“You have always been a tough opponent and a great sportsman.

A champion and a legend of our game.

Thank you,” wrote the veteran of the FC Bayern squad via Twitter in the direction of Piqué.

At 33, Müller himself is no longer one of the youngest and recently spoke about the end of his career in an Instagram video.

Only in this year's group phase did Müller and Piqué meet

Müller and Piqué fought some spectacular duels, especially in the Champions League.

In recent years, however, mostly with the better outcome for Munich.

Only in this year's group stage of the premier class did the two clubs face each other.

The Catalans lost twice in the aggregate, losing 2-0 and 3-0 respectively.

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On the way to the 2020 Champions League triumph, Bayern inflicted one of the most painful defeats in the club's history on the proud Barcelona club.

At that time, the "Black Beast", as Bayern is sometimes reverently called in Spain, won 8-2 at the Camp Nou.

Müller also contributed two goals.

Müller is currently injured (hip problems) and is working on his return.

It is not yet certain whether he will be used again for a competitive game before the start of the World Cup in Qatar.

The Weilheimer could possibly make his comeback shortly before the World Cup.