FC Barcelona stars Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets visited Aspire Academy ahead of their scheduled panel discussion at the Mall of Qatar, which is jointly organised by the Academy and Mall of Qatar. 

As part of their visit, the players received a tour of Aspire Academy’s facilities and the latest technologies on offer, including a sneak peek of Aspire Academy’s new building, which is still under construction.

Spain’s star defender Gerard Pique praised Aspire Academy, saying it is equipped with great facilities. When asked about his retirement plans from the national team, Pique said that he gave a lot of thought to his decision.

I am happy to have made the right decision. I’ll be 31 next year and I want to have a long career with my club, FC Barcelona. To do that, sometimes you have to make sacrifices and leaving the national team will give me more time to rest.’

Speaking about Aspire-owned Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa’s promotion to Spain’s Second Division, Pique said it will be a great experience for the team. He added that it’s also good for Aspire (Academy) because they will be able to send their players to Spain to help them prepare for the Qatar World Cup 2022.

When asked if he’d consider playing in the Qatar Stars League like former teammate Xavi Hernandez, Pique said he’d like to finish his football career with Barcelona, though he did not rule out the possibility completely because according to him, in football you never know.

Meanwhile, Jordi Alba advised Aspire Academy student-athletes to soak up as much knowledge from their coaches as possible and to keep fighting to their level of football. Commenting on the development of sports in Qatar, Alba said that the sports field in Qatar is growing steadily. He added that Qatar has a lot of potential and people are expecting great things from it.

FCB stars in Aspire Academy (1)
FC Barcelona stars Gerard Pique (left), Jordi Alba (centre) and Sergio Busquets, during their visit inside Aspire Academy.

Speaking about Aspire Academy, Spain’s midfielder Sergio Busquets praised the spacious facilities and high-level of coaching.

As a player, I’d personally enjoy using these facilities every day. Academies like Aspire provide a good foundation for young players to make it into professional leagues. In order to succeed in football, players have to remain committed and motivated. International exposure provides this and benefits young players, as demonstrated by the growth of Aspire Academy graduate and Sporting Gijon forward, Akram Afif.’

For more information about Aspire Academy, visit their website at aspire.qa.

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