Gerard Pique has confirmed that he has a desire to become Barcelona's president in the future.
The 35-year-old has now officially retired from professional football, with his last game for the club proving to be last weekend's 2-0 victory over Almeria at Camp Nou.
Pique was named on the bench against Osasuna on Tuesday night, but the central defender was sent off at half time following a conversation with the referee.
The Spaniard's career at Barcelona saw him represent the club on 616 occasions in all competitions, contributing 53 goals and 15 assists in the process.
Meanwhile, he has departed the Catalan outfit having won eight La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies and three Champions League crowns.
© Reuters
There has been speculation surrounding Pique's apparent desire to run for Barcelona president at some stage in the future, and he has now confirmed that is an ambition.
"I think that at some point I will want to be president of Barcelona," he said on Ibai Llanos' Twitch.
"Right now I don't have it in my head. I want to do many other things. Having the freedom not to be training every day or busy weekends with matches will give me the opportunity to focus on other things.
"In the future, I would really like to help the club of my life to exploit its full potential."
Pique also said that he never had a desire to represent any club other than Barcelona following his return to Camp Nou from Manchester United in 2008.
© Reuters
"I have always told my agent that I was not going to leave Barcelona. At 28, 29 years old, if Barcelona told me that they would not renew me, I would have retired. I had no other motivation," he said.
Following the clash with Osasuna on Tuesday, Barcelona boss Xavi revealed that he had planned to use Pique in the league game before his red card took away that opportunity.
The defender featured on 10 occasions for the Catalan outfit this term, but the recent criticism surrounding his form is believed to have played a major role in his decision to retire, 18 months before the end of his contract.
Barcelona are now not back in action until the end of December against Espanyol, with the campaign breaking due to the 2022 World Cup.
Xavi's side have won each of their last four matches, while they are currently top of La Liga, five points clear of second-placed Real Madrid, who will face Cadiz on Thursday night.
Matt Law
