Gerard Pique has been branded ‘xenophobic’ and ‘racist’ after berating his ex Shakira and her Latin American fan base in a fiery recent Twitch video.
The Spanish footballer, 36, who split from the singer, 46, in June 2022 after a 12-year romance and amid allegations of cheating, did not hold back when he opened up about trolls he had received from the fanbase of the Colombian star Shakira since the split.
Speaking on his Kings League Infojobs Twitch stream, the star said: “The issues I’ve been through since last year, with my ex-partner who is Hispanic…I mean you don’t know what I’ve come to receive on social media from people who are her fans, but damn, I don’t really care.
‘It’s zero, zero, because I don’t know them at all. These are people who don’t care about you, and they are there but have no life.
And what interest do they have? That’s zero. You will never meet them in your life, they are like robots. I’ll treat it like it is, you know.’
Uproar: Gerard Pique has been labeled “xenophobic” and “racist” after he lashed out at his ex Shakira and her Latin American fanbase in a fiery recent Twitch video (pictured together in 2014)
Shakira then took to Twitter to fire off an apparent reply to her ex’s comments, writing, “Orgullosa de ser Latinoamericana” [Proud to be Latin American.)
Pique’s comments sparked mass outrage online, with fans accusing the star of being ‘lowkey racist’ and urging him to treat his ex-partner Shakira with respect.
One wrote: ‘Did Gerard pique, a Spanish person, just insult Latin Americans because he’s hurt over some nasty comments from people online?
‘Also, it’s not only Latin Americans who have been defending shakira, the rest of us have too. He’s just coming off as xenophobic.’
Another typed: ‘Not Gerard Pique being xenophobic towards my latino people! Shakira I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.’
A third penned: ‘Piqué talked about how “my ex… well, she’s Latin American. her fans have been coming for me on social media, they have no life.”
‘Why did he bring up that she’s Latin American out of nowhere? His comments seemed lowkey racist and stereotyping, deeming Latino Americans as violent.’
Another wrote: ‘I swear to god that pique has such an audacity.. like imagine being that racist and xenophobic to the mother of your kids who’d literally put her international career on a pause just to take care of her family and pique turns to cheat on her….
Hitting back: The Spanish footballer, 36, who split from the singer, 46, in June 2022 after a 12 year romance and amid cheating allegations, didn’t hold back as he opened up about trolling he had received from Colombian star Shakira’s fanbase since the split
Tweet: Shakira then took to Twitter to fire off an apparent reply to her ex’s comments, writing, “Orgullosa de ser Latinoamericana” [Proud to be Latin American]
Backlash: Fans were quick to slam the Spanish star for his ‘xenophobia’
Another typed, “Not Piqué being xenophobic towards Latinos,” while others wrote, “Known as a footballer, Piqué says Latin American people, one of the biggest football fan regions, have no life.” Please tell me someone writes this down for when Shakira’s novela is made;
One fan wrote, “Oh… he’s not saying Latinos don’t have life… He’s about to get it 10x worse,” while a second typed, “Oh god, I’m going the “those people” route. Well, he’s a goner.’
“What’s the Latin American part got to do with it???? A loser is a loser all over the world JUST SAY
“Did pique really say latin american people should live!!!! Its pushing 40 and divorced stfu.’
This comes after Shakira reportedly left Barcelona for good after reportedly getting an ‘eviction notice’ from Pique’s father.
Spanish media say the singer received a letter telling her and her parents to leave the ex-couple’s former childhood home after she sang her diss song to Pique and his new girlfriend last month on the Jimmy Fallon show on the late evening.
It’s the flat where Shakira was famous for putting a witch on her balcony overlooking her mother-in-law’s house, who lives next door.
There was speculation in Spain on Monday that the letter was the cause of the tears she was seen shedding in a New York store ahead of her return to Barcelona.
Shakira made no mention of the eviction order in the farewell message she posted on Instagram after she was pictured leaving the Catalan capital with her two children to start a new life in Florida.
She is expected to enjoy a few days of vacation at an undisclosed location with sons Milan, 10, and Sasha, 8, before attending a private school just north of Miami on April 11.
Oh no: This comes after Shakira reportedly left Barcelona for good after reportedly getting an ‘eviction notice’ from Pique’s dad (Gerard pictured with parents Joan and Montserrat)
Make a point? The flat in question was where Shakira raised a witch to face her mother-in-law’s house – insisting she’s ‘ready for her next chapter’
Fresh start: Shakira is pictured with her two sons Milan, ten, and Sasha, eight, who she shares with her ex Gerard from whom she had a complicated divorce
Dig: It comes after Shakira also took a clear swipe at Gerard when she wrote an Instagram post about healing after betrayal on New Year’s Day
Shakira was flown from Barcelona with her two children on Sunday after tearfully saying goodbye to family and friends.
She posted an emotional message on Instagram to coincide with her departure, writing in her open letter that included an obvious joke to her ex: “I settled in Barcelona to give stability to my sons, the same stability we are now looking for in another corner of the world. the world next to family, friends and the sea.
“Today we start a new chapter in the quest for their happiness. Thanks to everyone who surfed so many waves with me there in Barcelona, the city where I learned that friendship is undoubtedly longer than love.
“Thanks to everyone who encouraged me, dried my tears, inspired me and made me grow.
“Thanks to my Spanish fans who have always protected me with their love and loyalty.”
She then shared a photo of a wing of the plane she took out of the Catalan capital with Barcelona below, adding: “But things are not always as we dreamed them to be.
“Sometimes we run, but we don’t gain weight. Never doubt I’ll be here.’
Shakira and Pique, who split last May after 11 years together, confirmed in November that they had reached a custody agreement after protracted negotiations that culminated in a marathon 12-hour meeting with their lawyers.
They signed the agreement the following month in a court in Barcelona.
As part of the agreement, Pique, who is now in a relationship with Catalan beauty Clara Chia, 24, will spend vacation time with his children.
Shakira’s desire to move to Miami, where she used to live and part of her family lives, is said to have been the main sticking point in the former couple’s previous failure to reach an amicable settlement.
The artist, who has relatives and some close friends in Miami, owns a £14 million mansion in the city that she allegedly put up for sale in 2018 before taking it off the market a few months ago.
Late last month, Spanish media claimed that Shakira may have found love with a new man in Miami.
News website OK Diario said the mother-of-two had met the mystery man several months ago before writing her latest diss track, targeting Pique and his new girlfriend Clara Chia.
The former Barcelona defender’s relationship with Clara Chia, who just turned 24, came about shortly after he and Shakira announced their split.
The singer-songwriter performed her diss track with Argentinian DJ Bizarrap, in which she fires poison darts at Pique and his new girlfriend, during the Jimmy Fallon late-night show on March 10. She went on to talk about her split with the former footballer.
Pique said in a subsequent interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais that he was “very happy” after the dramatic changes in his life, including breaking up with Shakira and retiring from football.
He also closed a question about Shakira in the interview, but added, “Every parent has a responsibility to try to do the best for their children.
“It’s about protecting them. That is the job of all parents with their children. That’s what I focus on and that’s my job as a father.’
Pique’s lawyer Ramon Tamborero said in February, in his first public remarks about the couple’s divorce negotiations: “They made a huge effort for the welfare of their children, to make sure they weren’t the protagonists.
“They have both shown great intelligence.”
In a surprise interview with the respected Catalan daily La Vanguardia, the father of two, Mr Tamborero, 74, admitted about the talks that led to the agreement: ‘It took seven months of negotiations.
‘The agreement was complex and required preparatory talks. And the decisive reunion for the signing lasted 13 hours.’
New romance: Gerard and his new girlfriend Clara Chia have been on the receiving end of his ex’s barbs in diss songs the Colombian beauty has released since their split last year
Shakira will have to return to Barcelona for a £12 million tax fraud trial, but no trial date has yet been set. She has denied any wrongdoing after being charged with six counts of tax fraud that prosecutors say she committed between 2012 and 2014.
A source close to the singer said of her decision to move to Miami before the end of the school year, in quotes published by the Catalan daily El Periodico: ‘Milan and Sasha have good grades and the teachers don’t see it as a problem.
“The decision has been very carefully considered and Shakira feels very calm about things after the schools have not objected.
“If it negatively affected them in any way, she wouldn’t have made the decision to go to Miami right now.”