Los 40 USA
NewslettersSign in to commentAPP
spainSPAINchileCHILEcolombiaCOLOMBIAusaUSAmexicoMEXICOlatin usaLATIN USAamericaAMERICA

The problem here isn't Periscope, but Piqué

Update:

It appears Barcelona don't care much for Gerard Piqué's use of Periscope. There are even those who've proposed banning him from it (who would dare?) and, in that same vein, the suggestion also arose that there should be some sort of collective movement, emanating from the likes of LaLiga, to dissuade players from using it. Against that backdrop, Spain boss Vicente del Bosque was asked whether he'd see fit to forbid Piqué from using Periscope on international duty, and naturally he said no. The only thing prohibited in Del Bosque's eyes is prohibition itself. That's his management style, and it generally gets better results.

If you ask me, the issue here isn't Periscope, but Piqué himself. Up to now, he'd managed fine without it in making a name for himself (aside from as a fantastic footballer) for his appetite for putting himself forward as Spain's 'enfant terrible'. It wasn't on Periscope that we watched him gratefully tell Kevin Roldán that "it all started" with him. Nor was it on the social media app that we saw him verbally abuse police officers or spit on Pedro Cortés; thoroughly unpleasant scenes. We already knew full well of his penchant for stink bombs, too. And before Periscope, he'd never missed the chance to whip up a storm on Twitter.

My understanding is that Piqué's an intelligent guy. In the face of all his hijinks, his press conference distancing his conflicts with Real Madrid from the Catalan question, two things we often mistakenly pair together, was a welcome one. He expresses himself well with no little frequency. But he could do with a greater sense of coexistence, and with dialling down his passion for social exposure. That's all to do with him. Even in the days of the Pony Express, he'd have found a way to grab the attention. Social media makes that easier for him, of course; but it's not the problem. That resides in the player himself. It only seems to be him.