Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagicGerard Piquéhas broken his silence afterending his 11-year relationshipwithShakira.When the former soccer player, 36, spoke with the Spanish newspaperEl Paisrecently, Piqué said he’s “very happy” following his breakup with the singer last year.“The day I die, I will look back and hope I have always done what I wanted,” Piqué told the outlet.Piqué said he wants “to be faithful to” himself regarding major life decisions and no longer worries about public opinion.“The problem is how people perceive things or how the press packages it,” he toldEl Pais. “I’m still doing what I want. I’m not gonna waste money on cleaning up my image.“Piqué said he’s “putting energy on the people closest” to him. “The people that I love and worry about are the people that know me. The rest, I don’t care. I’m very happy. There’s been changes in my life and I’ve known how to preserve that happiness.“The couple, who share sonsSasha, 8, andMilan, 10, announced their separation last June after firstconfirming their relationshipin March 2011. Since then, Piquéwent Instagram officialwith girlfriendClara Chia Martí, 23, in January, while Shakira has released three tracks seemingly addressing the split.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.In November, Piqué announced his retirement from soccer.“The last few weeks, months, people have been talking about me,” Piqué said ina video announcementat the time. “Until now, I have not said anything, but now I want to be the one who is talking about me.“As Piqué explained, he’s been a Barcelona fan after being “born into a football-loving family,” and his goal wasn’t even to be a pro soccer player — it was to specifically play for Barcelona.RELATED VIDEO: Gerard Piqué Goes Instagram Official with Clara Chia Marti 7 Months After Split from Shakira"Recently, I have thought a lot about that kid. If he had been told he would fulfill all his dreams, that he would play for Barca, that he would win every trophy possible, that he would be a European and world champion. That he would play with the best players in history, that he would become one of the team’s captains,” he shared.“Football has given me everything. You, the fans, have given me everything. And now my childhood dreams have been fulfilled, I want to tell you that I’ve decided that now is the time to bring this journey to its end.““And you know me, sooner or later I will be back. See you at Camp Nou.ViscaBarca, always and forever,” he concluded.
Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Gerard Piquéhas broken his silence afterending his 11-year relationshipwithShakira.When the former soccer player, 36, spoke with the Spanish newspaperEl Paisrecently, Piqué said he’s “very happy” following his breakup with the singer last year.“The day I die, I will look back and hope I have always done what I wanted,” Piqué told the outlet.Piqué said he wants “to be faithful to” himself regarding major life decisions and no longer worries about public opinion.“The problem is how people perceive things or how the press packages it,” he toldEl Pais. “I’m still doing what I want. I’m not gonna waste money on cleaning up my image.“Piqué said he’s “putting energy on the people closest” to him. “The people that I love and worry about are the people that know me. The rest, I don’t care. I’m very happy. There’s been changes in my life and I’ve known how to preserve that happiness.“The couple, who share sonsSasha, 8, andMilan, 10, announced their separation last June after firstconfirming their relationshipin March 2011. Since then, Piquéwent Instagram officialwith girlfriendClara Chia Martí, 23, in January, while Shakira has released three tracks seemingly addressing the split.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.In November, Piqué announced his retirement from soccer.“The last few weeks, months, people have been talking about me,” Piqué said ina video announcementat the time. “Until now, I have not said anything, but now I want to be the one who is talking about me.“As Piqué explained, he’s been a Barcelona fan after being “born into a football-loving family,” and his goal wasn’t even to be a pro soccer player — it was to specifically play for Barcelona.RELATED VIDEO: Gerard Piqué Goes Instagram Official with Clara Chia Marti 7 Months After Split from Shakira"Recently, I have thought a lot about that kid. If he had been told he would fulfill all his dreams, that he would play for Barca, that he would win every trophy possible, that he would be a European and world champion. That he would play with the best players in history, that he would become one of the team’s captains,” he shared.“Football has given me everything. You, the fans, have given me everything. And now my childhood dreams have been fulfilled, I want to tell you that I’ve decided that now is the time to bring this journey to its end.““And you know me, sooner or later I will be back. See you at Camp Nou.ViscaBarca, always and forever,” he concluded.
Gerard Piquéhas broken his silence afterending his 11-year relationshipwithShakira.
When the former soccer player, 36, spoke with the Spanish newspaperEl Paisrecently, Piqué said he’s “very happy” following his breakup with the singer last year.
“The day I die, I will look back and hope I have always done what I wanted,” Piqué told the outlet.
Piqué said he wants “to be faithful to” himself regarding major life decisions and no longer worries about public opinion.
“The problem is how people perceive things or how the press packages it,” he toldEl Pais. “I’m still doing what I want. I’m not gonna waste money on cleaning up my image.”
Piqué said he’s “putting energy on the people closest” to him. “The people that I love and worry about are the people that know me. The rest, I don’t care. I’m very happy. There’s been changes in my life and I’ve known how to preserve that happiness.”
The couple, who share sonsSasha, 8, andMilan, 10, announced their separation last June after firstconfirming their relationshipin March 2011. Since then, Piquéwent Instagram officialwith girlfriendClara Chia Martí, 23, in January, while Shakira has released three tracks seemingly addressing the split.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In November, Piqué announced his retirement from soccer.
“The last few weeks, months, people have been talking about me,” Piqué said ina video announcementat the time. “Until now, I have not said anything, but now I want to be the one who is talking about me.”
As Piqué explained, he’s been a Barcelona fan after being “born into a football-loving family,” and his goal wasn’t even to be a pro soccer player — it was to specifically play for Barcelona.
RELATED VIDEO: Gerard Piqué Goes Instagram Official with Clara Chia Marti 7 Months After Split from Shakira
“Recently, I have thought a lot about that kid. If he had been told he would fulfill all his dreams, that he would play for Barca, that he would win every trophy possible, that he would be a European and world champion. That he would play with the best players in history, that he would become one of the team’s captains,” he shared.
“Football has given me everything. You, the fans, have given me everything. And now my childhood dreams have been fulfilled, I want to tell you that I’ve decided that now is the time to bring this journey to its end.”
“And you know me, sooner or later I will be back. See you at Camp Nou.ViscaBarca, always and forever,” he concluded.
source: people.com
