Piqué primed for final reunion

The sense of familiarity which Gerard Piqué is bound to feel during Wednesday's UEFA Champions League final will not flow solely from the fact that he was a member of the Manchester United FC squad which arrived in Moscow for a similar date with destiny last year.

Roman goal
On that occasion, the towering central defender had the misfortune to be one of the players Sir Alex Ferguson had to leave sitting in the stands while United defeated Chelsea FC on penalties. Barring misfortune, Piqué will be one of the first names on the FC Barcelona team sheet in Rome and perhaps coach Josep Guardiola will say a quiet prayer to himself that his 22-year-old protégé can repeat a feat which very few in the Barça squad have achieved.

Hat-trick
Holders United are on a record-breaking 25-match unbeaten run in this competition and Piqué played his part last season, scoring two goals in the group stage of that triumphant campaign, one of which came in the 1-1 draw at AS Roma. "I think I'm one of very few players in this squad who has actually scored at the Stadio Olimpico," he told uefa.com, his achievement nonetheless bettered by Thierry Henry's hat-trick for Arsenal FC against Roma in November 2002 and double for Juventus against S.S. Lazio ten years ago.

Repeat performance
"It was a special goal for me, given that it came in the Champions League, but also any goal for a central defender needs to be relished," added Piqué. "Obviously I'll get up for corners and free-kicks against my old team-mates and let's see if I can't get another." Twice already this season, the Barcelona native has announced that he owed his team a goal only to then find the back of the net almost immediately, against city rivals RCD Espanyol in the Copa del Rey and then versus Real Madrid CF during this month's 6-2 Liga demolition. Perhaps fate will again be kind to the player who grew up a Barça fanatic thanks to the fact that his grandfather, Amador Bernabéu, was a vice-president at the Camp Nou. Piqué always believed his destiny was to succeed at the club he loved – but he needed time with Wednesday's opponents in order to achieve his dream.

Sir Alex tuition
"Like any kid I yearned to make it as a professional footballer and when I scored a goal in the school playground it was always for Barça," he recalled. "So when I left the youth system at the Camp Nou it was with the intention of making myself a first-team player, which was what United seemed to be offering me. It was tough; my parents were unhappy at me leaving home so young and there was a lot about the English culture, especially the diet, which took a big effort to assimilate. But Sir Alex Ferguson taught me to be a professional. He showed me that I must live exclusively for football. When I first signed for United I was young and there were distractions. His point of view is that being a top professional footballer is a lifestyle choice – I learned to focus on that and to exclude other things."

Practical joke
It is a process from which Guardiola and Barcelona are drawing the biggest dividend. Piqué would have stayed at United had he been given more first-team opportunities because, as he put it, "that would have been the natural thing to do", but instead he became arguably Barça's best signing last summer, given that he has emerged as a significant playing force and also impacted on dressing-room spirit. He is the first to choose the music, the quickest to play a practical joke and a favourite of Guardiola's because the coach knows his centre-back provides humour, resilience, hunger and ebullience.

Demanding atmosphere
"I've brought back something distinct about the English footballing culture," Piqué explained. "Maybe it's a weather thing, but in Spain we are a lot more calm and relaxed around the training ground and in the dressing room. At the top level in England, it's tough and demanding from the first minute. On the pitch everything is totally serious, but in training there are endless jokes, mickey-taking, noise and ephemeral things which help team spirit. It's vastly important to have this – the team which laughs and jokes together will show a fighting attitude on the pitch. If the players don't get on then the season can be very, very long."

Destiny calling
So, with such privileged inside information, how does Piqué see the final unfolding? "I think United will repeat last season's performance against Barça in the semi-finals – stay compact and look to catch us on the break." Who are the favourites? "United deserve that tag because they are reigning champions and will give everything to defend their title." And, crucially, who will win? "Barça, of course. It would nice to win with style but adding this trophy to our league and cup double would make Spanish history. We won't miss our date with destiny."