Sources at Barcelona announced today, Monday, the presence of Gerard Pique, the team’s defender, on the preliminary list of Spain coach Luis Enrique in preparation for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Veteran Paris Saint-Germain defender Sergio Ramos was also on the list handed over to FIFA last week.
According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, the initial list included 55 players, but Enrique will select only 25 or 26 of them to travel to Qatar, with the final list to be announced on Friday, November 11th.
And if the call of the 36-year-old to Spain’s provisional squad for the World Cup in Qatar is considered by many to be worthy, given the return of the veteran defender to his previous level and his regular participation in the matches of the Paris team from the very beginning. This season, Piqué’s presence on the provisional list came as a big surprise as the 35-year-old suffers from a year of deteriorating performance in recent periods, making him the target of criticism and prompting Barcelona coach Javi Hernandez to keep him on the bench.
Enrique, during his current tenure at the helm of the Spanish national team, has never included the veteran Pique at the request of the player and his desire to retire from international football, and Ramos has not appeared on La Roja’s list since March 2021 due to his injury.
Spain will play at the World Cup in Qatar in Group E along with Germany, Costa Rica and Japan.
Source: agencies