Anybody who plays the beautiful game inevitability perishes and all there that remains are mere memories. Some you remember while some keep reminding you of their existence. However, what remains is the will of one to be remembered for the eternity of the game’s existence. Some get remembered for what they do on the field, while some remain infamous forever. While being infamous is no achievement, but all there is to being infamous is perspective. Your Twitter king is my El Presidente and one of the most decorated defenders the game has seen.
You know him as a mad man who speaks without a brain, but to me he is a genius who speaks what he thinks is right. To you, he is one of the most immature players to ever play, to me his is one of the best defenders the game has seen and watching him on field talks in magnitudes about his maturity. Some of you just don’t believe in him, but I beg to differ. He isn’t just another defender in the game, but a legend that you’d be ignorant to deny. He is clearly one of the best defenders in the world right now and in fact ever. It can’t be denied he lacks the motivation in the smaller games, but when needed to rise to the occasion, never doubt his brilliance. He compensates for his lack of speed with his wit and timely challenges. Him being integral part of Pep’s Barcelona at 21 advocates everything mentioned. He doesn’t seem very influential compared to his counterparts, but is on par with many of the best on your list if not better.
To start off with his defending, he is arguably the smartest defender to play the game, not overrated, but rather underrated. What is defending though? Crunch tackles? Headed clearances? Break a leg or two? You don’t have to do any of this to protect your goal, however these are desperate measures. While many of the modern defenders that top your list as best defenders would perhaps have this features as standouts, the truth is reading of the game could also mitigate the need for any of this. Many people don’t look ahead of stats and the problem begins there. Stats are like bikinis, they may expose a lot but never reveal the entirety of the matter. The systems in which Pique plays, FC Barcelona and Spain NT, they need a ball playing sweeper with a high line. He is arguably the best ball playing defender without an ounce of doubt.
Being at the right place at the right time in layman’s terms and the concept of space and time in the language of the earnest students of Johan Cruyff, Pique has actually made this an art in defending as well. “If I have to make a tackle , I have already made a mistake” – Maldini. The people who appreciate this statement of Maldini must know where I’m heading with this. The golden rule of defending is to assess a situation and stay prepared, but not react. Pique’s understanding and reading of the game allow him to relax a bit with his pace. His positioning is so sound, he doesn’t generally have to sprint or run twice as much as other defenders.
Moving to his pace, there again, the concept of pace is absolutely flawed. To start, Cruyff once said If I start running slightly earlier than someone else, I seem faster. Pace is mere perspective, but them again is he actually slow? Actually, no. He was clocked at a 33.3 kmph in the previous clasicos and if you watch the game against Portugal, who were constantly looking for opportunities to counter attack, Pique was almost always on par with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is still one of the fastest players in football. The idea of pace for a defender in itself is a concept that is flawed.
Another aspect of the game that everyone’s eyes are without a second invitation is drawn towards are goals, which is apparently a new metric to judge players. Guess which defender has the highest goals in the Champions League? Si, mi el Presidente. Everyone talks of Puyol and Ramos’ goals, but Pique’s goal scoring prowess goes under the radar and is an equal threat from set pieces. He came to the rescue in a game against Espanyol, the same Espanyol whose fans basically harassed the Catalan pride and even chanting for the death of his children, talk of clutch goals. Going against tyranny, on and off the pitch, nobody comes close in the aspect of being vocal.
Barring his abilities as a player, he is one of the last of his kind, with never ending passion for the club and seems to be the only solution to all the chaos there is and the spoilt reputation we have in the market right now. We might as well see contrast to what you witness now when our El Presidente takes charge, from a spineless business minded rat to one of the smartest president of the club. He is already taking all the right steps ahead to be the future president of our club. The last person who can revive our club and see our roots back to the Cruyff’s Barcelona and strengthen our stance on being more than just a club. La Masia would also retain its value and given the important figure he has grown into over the years in Catalunya, his victory in the presidential election is rather a formality.
When you see him step down as a player, he will undoubtedly go down as one of the most decorated defenders to grace the field. You can go on and hate him, I have no complains, as your hate is what makes him stronger than he already is.
A fine line seperates bravery from stupidity and also our perspectives about Pique as a person more than a player. Going against a corrupt system all by himself may appear to be stupidity, but I’m glad there’s a fine line between you and us.
Blaugrana Syndicate 