Barcelona star Pique red carded in his last ever match

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was sent off in his last ever match before even entering the pitch on Tuesday.

In a 2-1 Osasuna win, Pique was shown a red card as a substitute after arguing with referee Jesus Gil Manzano during the half-time break.

"I was going to use (Gerard Pique). We knew that Chad was going to come in, Andreas was struggling with an injury. Eric had some discomfort in the warmup. And we were forced to not have him start," Barca head coach Xavi Hernandez said.

"We did think about bringing in Gerard, but he was sent off at halftime when things got tense," he said after the game.

Barcelona's goals came from Pedri and Raphinha, while Osasuna found a goal with David Garcia.

Also, Robert Lewandowski received a red card in the 31st minute.

The 35-year-old Spaniard bid his farewell to Barca's home ground Nou Camp on Saturday after leading Barcelona to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Almeria.

Pique won 30 trophies with Barcelona, including three UEFA Champions League titles in 2009, 2011, and 2015, and eight Spanish La Liga championships.

He was a Manchester United defender to clinch the 2008 English Premier League and a Champions League trophy with the Red Devils in the same year.

Pique also bagged the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA EURO 2012 with his native Spain.

In 2018, Pique retired from international football after tallying 102 caps for the Spanish national team.