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Gerard Pique: 'I knew Neymar was leaving Barcelona'

Gerard Pique admits that he knew Neymar was going to leave Barcelona at the time of the Spaniard sharing his now-infamous "he's staying" photo.

Gerard Pique has revealed that he knew Neymar was going to leave Barcelona when he shared his now-infamous "he's staying" photo.

The Brazilian completed a world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain on August 3, 11 days after Pique posted a photo of the pair and the caption "se queda".

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Barca's Supercopa de Espana meeting with Real Madrid, he said: "At [Lionel] Messi's wedding [at the end of June], I had an idea that he might leave.

"In pre-season, again, he said he would leave. When I wrote the 'he's staying' tweet, I knew 100% that he was leaving.

"I know that he has his reasons, they could be financial, or it could be to be the best player in the world. He shouldn't be judged, he's a brave player. He performed extraordinarily for us.

"He hasn't disappointed me, and I don't regret the 'he's staying' tweet. Everything has a reason, and I wanted to use social media because that's an instrument I have. I wanted to help the club, and at least I tried, even though I knew he had made his decision."

During his four years at Camp Nou, Neymar won two La Liga titles, the Champions League and three Copas del Rey.

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Athletic Bilbao's coach Ernesto Valverde looks on during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Athletic Club Bilbao at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on April 20, 2014
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona12110140112933
2Real Madrid1173121111024
3Atletico MadridAtletico126511871123
4Villarreal116322019121
5Osasuna126331716121
6Athletic Bilbao125431812619
7Real BetisBetis125431210219
8Mallorca12534109118
9Rayo Vallecano114431210216
10Celta Vigo125161820-216
11Real Sociedad124351010015
12GironaGirona124351517-215
13Sevilla124351217-515
14AlavesAlaves124171419-513
15Leganes122551216-411
16Getafe12174810-210
17Espanyol123181122-1110
18Las PalmasLas Palmas122371321-89
19Real ValladolidValladolid12228924-158
20Valencia11146817-97


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