Xavi has admitted it was a difficult decision to bench club legend Gerard Pique.

Pique was Xavi’s former teammate during his playing days, but the Barca manager decided to drop the 35-year-old, and he became the last choice among the centre-backs.

Pique would go on to quit and retire after losing his place.

Xavi has now revealed that it wasn’t an easy decision for him.

“When you have to make decisions contrary to what the player would like, it starts to be difficult,” Xavi said on TV3.

“I had to tell Pique to step aside, that he would play less. It was even hard for me to sleep, because we had enjoyed a lot together.”

Pique was invited by Xavi to take part of the title celebration, having been a part of the team, but never turned up.