Gerard Piqué Says He's 'Very Happy' After Split from Shakira: 'I'm Still Doing What I Want'

Natasha Dye
·3 min read

The former soccer player has broken his silence after ending his 11-year relationship with the "Hips Don't Lie" singer

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Gerard Piqué has broken his silence after ending his 11-year relationship with Shakira.

When the former soccer player, 36, spoke with the Spanish newspaper El Pais recently, 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 told El Pais. "I'm still doing what I want. I'm not gonna waste money on cleaning up my image."

Related:Gerard Piqué Breaks Silence After Shakira Split as He Says He's Focused on 'Protecting' His Kids

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 sons Sasha, 8, and Milan, 10, announced their separation last June after first confirming their relationship in March 2011. Since then, Piqué went Instagram official with girlfriend Clara Chia Martí, 23, in January, while Shakira has released three tracks seemingly addressing the split.

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In November, Piqué announced his retirement from soccer.

"The last few weeks, months, people have been talking about me," Piqué said in a video announcement at 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. Visca Barca, always and forever," he concluded.

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