Gerard Pique showered his girlfriend with affection after his emotional Barcelona farewell tribute on Saturday.

With more than a year remaining on his contract at the Catalan club, Gerard, 35, shocked the football world last week when he announced that was going to call time on his career in the sport.

After making an emotional speech following Barcelona’s win against Almeria at the Nou Camp, the retired star was seen being consoled by his girlfriend, 23, as they kissed and cuddled while out on the stands if the pitch.

Packing on the PDA: Gerard Pique showered his girlfriend Clara Chia with affection after his emotional Barcelona farewell tribute on Saturday

The father-of-two, whose two sons also attended the celebration, showed he has nothing to hide now his 11-year relationship with Colombian singer Shakira is over as he locked lips with Clara and put his arms round her.

Spanish sports television network Gol Play filmed the memorable moment and wrote alongside the footage it posted on Twitter Gol Direct: ‘The first kiss of @gerardpique after the tribute. The centre back shared this special day with his loved ones.’

A match commentator said as a cameraman approached the couple that they realised their romantic scene was being filmed but continued to embrace each other.

Cute couple: After making an emotional speech following Barcelona’s win against Almeria at the Nou Camp , the retired star was seen being consoled by his girlfriend as they kissed

All over each other: The father-of-two, whose two sons also attended the celebration, showed he has nothing to hide now his 11-year relationship with Colombian singer Shakira is over

They noted: Look at this image. Gerard Pique’s first kiss after receiving the tribute from the Camp Nou spectators.

‘Happy, satisfied, accompanied by his family and those who most love him.

‘It’s the last image Gerard Pique has left us with on his day, on the day he said goodbye to his team.’

Gerard – who announced his split from Shakira in June amid cheating rumours – has not been shy of packing on the PDA with his model girlfriend in recent weeks.

The former Man United defender shocked the football world on Thursday by announcing on Twitter that Saturday’s game against Almeria would be his last in a Barcelona shirt and his final game as a professional footballer.

He made 397 appearances for the Catalan giants, scoring 29 times, and was capped 102 times for Spain at senior level.

He said in an emotional message accompanying footage of him gazing over the Catalan capital from a balcony and lookback pictures and video of him as a young child in a Barcelona shirt: ‘It’s been 25 years since I joined Barca. I left and I came back. Football has given me everything. You, culés, have given me everything.

‘And now that all that kid’s dreams have come true, I want to tell you that now is the time to bring this journey to an end.’

 

It’s all over: Gerard was held aloft by his teammates and Barcelona staff after his last home match following his shock retirement

Confirming he was quitting professional football halfway through the season, he added: ‘I will become a regular fan, I will support the team, I will pass my love for Barca to my children, like my family did with me.’

Gerard made a tearful speech on the pitch at Camp Nou on Saturday night, saying: ‘I was born here and I will die here’ after playing in most of Barcelona’s 2-0 victory before being substituted late on to rapturous applause from home fans.

The soccer star’s relationship with Barcelona-born beauty Clara emerged shortly after he and Shakira announced in June they had split after 11 years and two children together.

His personal life has been under the media spotlight ever since and has been cited as one of the reasons for his shock football retirement decision.

 

Break-up: Shakira and Gerard split in June amid reports of infidelity (pictured with their children Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven)

Gerard and Shakira lookalike Clara are said to have met at his firm Kosmos where Clara works.

Spanish news website Niusdiario reported last week the couple are now living together at Gerard’s luxury city centre penthouse apartment in Barcelona and are planning to start a family.

Meanwhile, Shakira seems to be settling scores with her ex via her music after the Spanish footballer was allegedly unfaithful.

She first appeared to include a jab at Gerard in her single Te Felicito (I Congratulate You).

A key line in the song is translated as, ‘To make you whole / I broke myself in pieces / I was warned, but I didn’t take heed / Don’t tell me you’re sorry / I know you well and I know you’re lying.’

In an interview with Elle Magazine, the hitmaker was asked about the line and it’s apparent connection to her marital issues.

 

New couple: Gerard – who announced his split from Shakira in June amid cheating rumours – has not been shy of packing on the PDA with his model girlfriend (pictured in August)

‘Is that the feeling that you had that you kind of had to give a part of yourself during that relationship, which perhaps was hard to get back?’ she was asked by Lulu Garcia-Navarro.

‘I can only say that either consciously or subconsciously, everything I feel, everything I go through is reflected in the lyrics I write, in the videos I make,’ Shakira responded. ‘When the glove fits, it fits. Like I said before, my music is that channel.’

Shakira’s song and the accompanying video featured the Puerto Rican singer Rauw Alejandro, who is currently dating Rosalía.

In the video, he appears to play both a romantic interest to Shakira, as well as a robotic clone of the same person, which Shakira tinkers away at until it comes to life.

It comes as Shakira and Gerard continue to try to hash out an agreement on their separation, with the pair recently being spotted outside of a law firm’s offices.

Adding to her interview with Elle magazine, Shakira said: ‘I think that the details are somehow too private to share, at least at this very moment — everything is so raw and new. I can only say that I put everything I had into this relationship and my family.’

 

New single: Shakira, 45, lost her heart, literally, in her latest music video, Monotonía, released four months after her breakup with longtime beau Gerard