Gerard Pique has hit back at ex-partner Shakira after the Colombian singer referenced their break-up in her new 'revenge' song.
Barcelona legend Pique, 35, and Shakira, 45, announced their split last June after 11 years together. The former couple also have two children, but that has not stopped them from becoming embroiled in a war of words - due in part to Pique's new girlfriend, Clara Chia.
Pique and Clara, 23, have been together since October and Shakira was keen to reference the relationship in her new song called "BZRP Music Sessions Vol 53". Yet the ex-footballer has responded through the use of the Kings League, his new football competition.
In Shakira's new song, she sings: "I'm worth two 22's. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo. You traded a Rolex for a Casio... A lot of gyms, but work your brain a little bit too."
Pique has responded to those lyrics by persuading Casio to become sponsors of the Kings League. He also turned up to a Kings League event in a Twingo car. In fact, a video of his arrival in the Twingo gained more than 60,000 likes on Twitter within an hour.
Pique retired from professional football in November and has since established the Kings League. The new seven-a-side competition is known for being innovative and is popular with social media users, as the Kings League's official YouTube account has more than 50,000 subscribers. Prominent content creators helped create the competition.
What do you make of Gerard Pique's response to Shakira's new song? Let us know in the comments below!
Pique explained his sponsorship deal with Casio during an appearance on a live stream of the Kings League, with Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero also in attendance. "We have an agreement with Casio," said Pique, which was followed by laughter.
Aguero then started chanting "Casio, Casio" before Pique added: "I'm serious... we have reached an agreement with Casio for the Kings [League], yes, because we have many countdowns and we have many watches... this watch is for life, I'm telling you!"
Pique then started handing out free Casio watches to his fellow guests before Aguero asked about Shakira's new song, which was met by more laughter.
Shakira described the break-up as "incredibly difficult" during an interview last October. "It’s hard to talk about it, especially because I’m still going through it, and because I’m in the public eye and because our separation is not like a regular separation," she told Elle.
"And so it’s been tough not only for me, but also for my kids. Incredibly difficult. I have paparazzi camping outside, in front of my house, 24/7. And there’s not a place where I can hide from them with my kids, except for my own house."
Shakira also claimed that she put her career in "second gear" to support Pique's spell at Barcelona. She added: "He wanted to play football and to win titles and I had to support him. I mean, one of the two of us had to make a sacrifice, right?"
