Former Spain star Gerard Pique is widely regarded as one of Barcelona’s greatest-ever players and played a huge role in the Catalans’ golden period, winning three Champions League trophies, nine La Liga titles and a host of other individual and team honours.
Pique was a cornerstone of Barcelona’s defence during their two trebles in 2008/09 and 2014/15, and also left a footprint at Manchester United, where he spent four seasons from 2004 to 2008.
The Spanish centre-back made only 12 Premier League appearances during his time at Old Trafford but won four major trophies, including the Champions League in 2007/08, when the Red Devils beat Chelsea in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Pique played alongside some of the biggest Man United stars ever during his time at the club and, unsurprisingly, picked a former teammate when naming the best Premier League defender of all time.
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Gerard Pique Praises Rio Ferdinand
‘The best of all time in the Premier League’
Pique, speaking to talkSPORT in 2024, praised former Man United teammate Rio Ferdinand as the best Premier League defender ever and revealed he learned a lot from the former England international during his four-year stint at Old Trafford:
“In terms of physicality, we were very similar. He was stronger, but we wanted to play the ball. In the Premier League we don’t play it as much as in Barcelona. In Barcelona we took a lot of risks, but we were very similar players.
“For me, when I arrived there, he was the guy, to really see what he’s doing, to learn from him. He gave a lot of advice at that time that was very good for me.
“I consider him also, some people say John Terry. For me, Rio was the best of all-time in the Premier League, at least from what I saw.
“Because sometimes what happens off the pitch, it seems that people consider you a little bit less because you have different interests outside the pitch et cetera, and Rio is this style of guy like I am in Spain.
“But then on the pitch, he was like incredible, he always performed at a very high level and was a great example.”
Pique played 12 times alongside Ferdinand in Man United’s central defence during his four years at Old Trafford and suffered just one defeat – 1-0 against Bolton in the 2007/08 Premier League season.
The two centre-backs also faced each other twice, both times in Champions League finals in 2008/09 and 2010/11, with Pique emerging victorious on both occasions.
Ferdinand is widely regarded as one of the finest Premier League defenders ever and helped Man United dominate English football in the late 2000s.
His centre-back partnership with Nemanja Vidic is still considered one of the best defensive pairings of all time, while Ferdinand’s trophy cabinet speaks for itself: six Premier League titles, two League Cups and the 2008 Champions League trophy.
Ferdinand made 455 appearances during his time at Old Trafford and retired from professional football in 2015 after a one-year stint with Queens Park Rangers.
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Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 13-06-25.
