Gerard Pique’s name is in Spain’s preliminary squad for the World Cup, Qatar 2022, which has sparked much controversy.
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Pique announced his retirement from international football in 2018 (archive)
The presence of the name Gerard Pique, Barcelona defender, on the Spanish national team’s list for the World Cup, Qatar 2022, made up of 55 players, was a great surprise, especially in light of the decline in his level in recent years.
And the Spanish newspaper “Marca” has announced that Pique will be on the list of 55 players, who will be reduced to 25 or 26 players, to form the final list of the Spanish national team at the World Cup, Qatar 2022.
On 11 November Enrique will announce Spain’s final list for the World Cup, which will see the release of a few names.
Pique had announced his retirement from international football in 2018 and was not among Barcelona manager Xavi’s options, until a group of defenders was injured, led by Jules Conde Araujo.
The 2010 World Cup champion has only played 8 games for Barcelona this season, only 4 of them as a starter, the last of which was in the 3-3 draw with Inter in the Champions League.
Enrique also included a number of unexpected names, including Sergi Roberto and Hector Bellerin, from Barcelona.
Also on the provisional list of the Spanish national team is Sergio Ramos, the current Paris Saint-Germain defender and former Real Madrid captain.
Interestingly, Spain plays in Group E in the 2022 World Cup alongside Costa Rica, Germany and Japan, and the women from these countries will meet on November 23 and 27 and December 1, respectively.
