What Happened to Gerard Piqué Bernabeu?

Gerard Piqué Bernabeu, born on February 2, 1987, concluded his illustrious professional football career on November 5, 2022, playing his final match for FC Barcelona against Almería. His retirement marked the end of a highly successful era where he won numerous titles, including three UEFA Champions Leagues and eight La Liga titles with Barcelona, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012 with Spain.

Following his retirement, Piqué intensified his focus on his business empire, Kosmos Holding, a sports and media investment group he founded in 2017. A key venture under Kosmos is the Kings League, a seven-a-side football competition launched in Spain in 2022. The league quickly gained traction by blending traditional football with video-game features, customized rules, and heavy audience interaction, attracting millions of viewers through streaming platforms. In January 2026, the Kings League hosted its Kings World Cup Nations in Brazil, featuring 20 national teams and drawing significant global attention, with the final held at São Paulo's Allianz Parque. The league is actively pursuing global expansion, with a planned launch in the United States in 2026 and interest in other markets like Portugal, Turkey, and South Korea.

Kosmos Holding has secured substantial investments to fuel this expansion, including a €60 million round in May 2024 and an additional $63 million in February 2026, bringing its total funding to over $160 million. However, the Kings League has also faced challenges, including a collective redundancy process in June 2026, impacting dozens of employees in Spain as part of restructuring plans.

Piqué's ownership of FC Andorra, a Spanish second-division football club acquired in December 2018 through Kosmos, has also seen significant developments. After being promoted to Segunda División in May 2022, the team was relegated in May 2024 but secured promotion back to the Segunda División in June 2025. In May 2026, Piqué himself was suspended for two months and six matches by the Spanish soccer federation for confronting match officials during an FC Andorra game. The club also relocated to the FAF Stadium in Encamp in September 2025, with an agreement running until May 2026, following issues with their previous ground.

Another notable Kosmos venture, the 25-year, $3 billion partnership with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to transform the Davis Cup, ended prematurely in January 2023 due to Kosmos reportedly failing to pay an annual fee and requesting renegotiation. The dispute was amicably resolved in March 2025. In his personal life, Piqué separated from Colombian singer Shakira in June 2022 amidst allegations of infidelity. Shakira has since reflected on the breakup, expressing gratitude for Piqué as the father of her children in May 2026. Piqué has been in a relationship with Clara Chía Martí since 2022.