The former Barcelona footballer and the pop star split last year

Gerard Piqué says he has faced significant backlash on social media since his split from Shakira.

The couple, who share two children, Sasha, 8, and Mila, 10, announced their separation last July. Since then, Piqué has made his relationship with his girlfriend Clara Chia Martí, 23, official, but via Instagram, while Shakira has posted three images seemingly addressing the breakup.

Speaking in his native Spanish during an April 1 interview with journalist Gerard Romero, Piqué said the public response has been difficult.

“With the issue that happened last year, my ex, she’s Latin American, and you have no idea what I received on social media from her fans. Barbarism. And I don’t care about any of that. Seriously, zero. Because I don’t know them.” These are people who have no life. You’ll never know them. “They’re like robots,” he said, translated into English.

Pique said his goal was not to let line of sight bother him, saying, “What you can’t control, you don’t pay attention to.”

“There’s this problem of lazarus cara de res. It’s a theory… but we don’t think about the consequences this illness can have on the mental health of the person we give it to,” he told Romero. “If you worry too much about the comments, you’re dead,” he added.

Gerard Pique says he’s “very happy” after his split from Shakira: “I keep doing what I want.”

Shakira. Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic

“I’m in a very happy moment and I’m trying to spend the best moments with people, my close circle who love me, and that’s essential.”

This highly publicized separation was announced this week when the Grammy-winning artist announced she was leaving Barcelona. Shakira, Mila, and Sahsa will be moving to Miami.

The Colombian singer, who lived in the Spanish city for eight years, posted her first farewell message to Barcelona on her Instagram account, saying she was leaving after her breakup with Piqué to begin “the next chapter.”

An English translation of the post reads: “I moved to Barcelona to give my children stability, the same stability we seek today in another worldly treasure besides family, friends, and the sea. Today we begin the next chapter in the search for happiness.”

The Instagram post thanked “everyone who shared many waves with me in Barcelona, ​​​​the city where I learned that, if anything, friendship lasts longer than love.”

Referring to her breakup with Piqué, Shakira said: “Thank you to everyone who encouraged me, dried my tears, inspired me, and made me grow. Thank you to the Spanish public who always supported me with love and loyalty. For all of you, this is just the end, and as my father always said, ‘I’ll see you on the bends!'”

Shakira and Piqué met on the set of the singer’s music video, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which served as the official theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The couple first confirmed their relationship in March 2011. They announced their separation last June.

“We are here to confirm that we are separated,” the couple said in a joint statement. “We ask for privacy at this time for the well-being of our children, which is our top priority. Thank you very much for your understanding and respect.”

He joined Barcelona and enjoyed a successful career with the city’s famous football team, FC Barcelona. The defender’s teams won three Champions League trophies and eight La Liga titles before retiring from professional football in November 2022.