Captain's performance as Gerard Pique ends Sporting game with the armband

Gerard Pique produced a complete performance against Sporting Gijon. The Catalan defender led his team from the back and formed a solid pairing with Jeremy Mathieu in the middle of the back four. He also joined in in attack and on more than one occasion was the player trying to get on the end of things in the box to add his name to the scoresheet. It’s well known how much the centre-back enjoys getting a goal. 

In addition to all that, though, Pique ended the game with the captain’s armband on. The club’s four captains are Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busqeuts. However, with the former three not playing in Gijon and Busquets going off in the second period, the captaincy was passed on to the 29-year-old. On many occasions he’s been the ‘captain’ of the team on social media or in press conferences, but this time he was the captain on the pitch. And it was a captain’s performance.