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Barcelona legend Gerard Pique has claimed that the length of football matches needs to be shortened to keep the sport alive and attract the younger generation.
The retired Spanish defender admitted that he does not find the game as exciting anymore as the world moves on to more concise and instantaneous forms of entertainment.
Pique said (via EuroFoot):
"Football competes with Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok. Everyone has limited time. Football for 90 minutes is not as exciting. Do I watch matches for 90 minutes? Not really. I watch some Barça, but not 90 minutes. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes."
The former Barcelona defender added:
"The other day I wore these virtual reality glasses. I put them on and I was in my pajamas at home, about to go to bed, and I watched a full NBA game, from inside the court. I am there. Every year these products get better."
He concluded, insisting that the sport needs to be revamped:
"You need to understand where football is going, where entertainment is going, and mix them, so people are still attached to football."
Gerard Pique spent 15 years at the Nou Camp before his retirement in January 2023. The Spaniard registered over 600 appearances for Barcelona, contributing 53 goals and 13 assists.
He has won nine La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, six Spanish Supercups, and four Champions League honors during his time at Barcelona.
Pique names two Premier League managers as potential candidates to replace Barcelona boss Xavi this summer
Pique believes Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Arsenal's Mikel Arteta are the ideal candidates to replace Xavi at Barcelona at the end of the summer.
Xavi announced earlier this year his decision to step down as Barca boss at the end of the season, insisting that the club needs a change of dynamic. The Blaugrana are second in the league standings, eight points behind Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, City and Arsenal are in the middle of a heated title race in England alongside Liverpool, with all three teams separated by just a point. Guardiola and Arteta have had respective stints at Camp Nou, the former as a manager building an iconic team with Lionel Messi & Co. and the latter a La Masia product.
Discussing potential replacements for Xavi, Pique said (via 90min):
"To manager Barca, you need a specific type of coach and understand the way Barca play, so the options are much less."
"The obvious ones are Guardiola, because he had his past here, and he is the best coach right now, and Arteta. He would be a good one also. He understands Barcelona and played for Barca in the past," he added.
