BARCELONA HIRED A private detective to follow defender Gerard Pique and Shakira amid concerns that the player’s partying lifestyle had been getting out of control, it has been alleged.
The claims were made by disgruntled ex-employees of Metodo 3, a detective agency that has fallen victim to the Spanish recession and had to close its doors.
According to the reports, Pique was followed by detectives on the order of club bosses.
El Confidencial suggests that Barcelona officials were worried he was spending too much time partying with his pop-star girlfriend Shakira, and that this lifestyle was affecting his performances on the pitch.
The defender was reportedly followed to a concert in September 2010, before realising he was being trailed, though officials managed convince Pique that it had been the tabloid press who were following him.
Barca have since issued a statement denying the allegations, which read:
“The club does not wish to comment on this because it has no documentary evidence that this ever happened and, as a result, we deny it.”
It is also rumoured that Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho and Deco – three players who have now left the club – were also followed by the agency at one point.
