(foto: Instagram)
Gerard Piqué sent a mocking WhatsApp message to Kings League presidents after Alvaro Arbeloa’s Real Madrid were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Albacete, reigniting their old El Clásico rivalry.
Real Madrid’s crisis deepened on Wednesday night, and Gerard Pique was quick to rub salt into the wounds.
Just days after Xabi Alonso was sacked, Alvaro Arbeloa suffered a nightmare start to his reign as Real Madrid coach, as his team were sensationally eliminated from the Copa del Rey by second-tier Albacete in a 3-2 defeat.
Spanish media described the performance as “shameful” and spoke of a club in “freefall”. But the most painful reaction came from Barcelona.
Pique’s WhatsApp jibe goes public
According to Marca, Gerard Pique sent a message to a private WhatsApp group of Kings League presidents shortly after the final whistle.
The message was short and brutal: “Good debut, 3-2.”
The comment was later leaked during a live broadcast by Andorran YouTuber Spursito, and quickly spread across Spanish social media.
The Kings League is the seven-a-side competition founded by Pique, and the group includes several high-profile figures from the football and streaming world.
Old rivalry, new chapter
The jibe immediately reignited the long-standing feud between Pique and Arbeloa, which dates back to the explosive El Clasico era of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
At one point, their hostility was so intense that some fans feared it could harm the unity of the Spanish national team.
In 2015, Pique delivered a thinly-veiled insult that became legendary in Spain.
“Arbeloa calls himself my friend, but he’s just an acquaintance… cono…cido,” Pique said, deliberately splitting the Spanish word conocido in a way that could be interpreted as an insult.
The remark went viral, forcing Pique to later insist he had meant nothing by it.
Two years later, Arbeloa confirmed the relationship was beyond repair, saying simply: “I would not go to lunch with Pique.”
Madrid in “extraordinary crisis”
Marca did not hold back in its assessment of Real Madrid’s latest humiliation.
“The crisis at Real Madrid is of extraordinary proportions. Two titles lost in three days, one manager sacked, and another starting out mortally wounded,” the newspaper wrote.
Arbeloa rotated his squad heavily, resting four key players, a decision that backfired spectacularly.
Although the paper admitted that blame cannot fully be placed on a coach who has been in the job for less than 48 hours, the verdict was still brutal.
“To think that this team can win La Liga or the Champions League is a pipe dream,” Marca concluded.
From bad to worse
Real Madrid have now lost two titles in the space of three days, sacked one coach, and seen his replacement start with a major failure.
And while the club tries to put out fires internally, Gerard Pique has ensured that, from Barcelona, the laughter can already be heard.