Former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has admitted he did not congratulate his former teammate Lionel Messi after he won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina in November.

Messi lifted the trophy for the first time in his career after his side neat France in the final.

Explaining why he didn’t bother sending his former Barca captain a message of congratulations, Gerrard, who retired from football just before the start of the 2022 World Cup, told Tiktok personality John Nellis, as cited by Mundo Deportivo, that he had disconnected himself from the football world.

“No, honestly no,” the former defender said when asked if he sent the message.

He continued: “After my retirement I wanted to completely disconnect.

“I went on vacation because the last few months as a footballer had been very hard. I didn’t watch any of the World Cup matches and only a part of the final.”

Although he didn’t congratulate Messi, Pique has praised the Argentine star, whom he labelled as the finest forward over the last decades.

The ex-Spain international added: “As a striker and for some reasons I would say Messi.

“He is the best in the world at the moment, and I think he is the best in history and also he managed to win the World Cup with Argentina. It was his dream.”