The story of Shakira and Piqué: from love at the World Cup in South Africa to separation

The love story between Piqué and Shakira ends 0:44 (CNN Spanish) — Together, they formed one of the most famous couples in the world, but this weekend after more than 12 years of relationship and two children together, the singer Colombian Shakira and Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué announced their separation. They confirmed it through a statement in which they asked for “respect for our privacy” for the “well-being” of their children, after the constant rumors that circulated for days about a possible break between the singer of “Hips Don’t Lie”, 45, and the FC Barcelona defender, 35. Here’s a look at the history of this famous couple: The World Cup that brought them together Shakira and Piqué met in 2010, months before the World Cup in South Africa, where she was the interpreter of “Waka Waka”, the official song of the World Cup that year, and he was one of the star players of the Spanish team. Although Piqué appeared in the music video of the song, it was not during the recordings that they were seen for the first time since, according to the singer herself in an interview in El Hormiguero, she filmed from Los Angeles and he from Spain. It was in Madrid where they met for the first time. Shakira was in the Spanish capital to perform at the Rock in Rio festival. “I was going to sing at Rock in Rio and then I was going to South Africa and he was also about to go to South Africa. And well, it was the first time we met “said the singer. Piqué told the Catalan newspaper L’Esportiu in 2020 that he met Shakira in Madrid, before going to South Africa: “The first day I told her that we would meet in the final; I was always brave. She sang the World Cup anthem at the ceremony and I took it for granted that we would play that game. And we got to the World Cup and we started losing the first game. But hey, in the end we won.” Several months later, in March 2011, the Colombian singer made her relationship official through her Twitter account in which she posted for the first time a photo in which she posed next to her boyfriend Piqué. her. “He introduced you to my sun,” the tweet read. Four years later, in the midst of preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Shakira released the song “Dare (La, La, La)”, another World Cup hit in whose video the soccer player appears. In the song “23”, from 2017, Shakira sings: “A couple of years ago I was alone, I used to think that there was no God, but then you looked at me with your blue eyes.” Piqué, with blue eyes, was 23 years old when he met Shakira. Perhaps the most famous mention of Piqué in Shakira’s music is in “La Bicicleta”, a hit in Latin America in which the singer collaborates with Carlos Vives. The woman from Barranquilla says: “Hey, Carlos, take me on your bike. If you show Piqué one day the Tayrona, then he won’t want to go to Barcelona.” How many children do Shakira and Pique have? After a year of officially starting their courtship, the couple celebrated the arrival of their first child. Milan, who is currently 9 years old, was born in Barcelona in January 2013, according to a statement on the Colombian singer’s website. Milan was born on January 22 of that year in a hospital in Barcelona, ​​Spain. The name chosen by his famous parents means dear, gracious and loving in Slavic. The Colombian, who along with Piqué has been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), took advantage of the curiosity of many to meet the newborn to promote her campaign to help disadvantaged children. Shakira confirmed her second pregnancy a year and a half later, in August 2014, to the Mexican edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. On January 29, 2015, Sasha, her second child, was also born in Barcelona. Shakira honors Piqué and her children in Barcelona 1:41 The separation In 2017 the couple had silenced rumors of their separation: in September of that year the defender published a photo of his partner and their two children on an Instagram Story with the message ” Sunday. Family time.” In March 2022, after FC Barcelona’s win over Real Madrid in the Spanish soccer classic, Shakira published a spicy post on her social networks. Until that moment everything seemed to work well in the couple. But after a few days of intense rumors in the entertainment press about an alleged infidelity on the part of the FC Barcelona footballer, Shakira and Piqué finally announced their separation after 12 years of relationship. “We regret to confirm that we parted ways. For the well-being of our children, who are our top priority, we ask that you respect (our) privacy. Thank you for your understanding,” the joint statement says.