Pique dismisses Ibrahimovic 'gay relationship' rumours

An offside photo of Barcelona star Gerard Pique and his former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been burning up the internet for years.

The 'intimate' image shows the duo in a strange pose. Pique, 28, who is married to Colombian singer Shakira, can be seen facing his Swedish former teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 34, who is leaning back against a car, and holding him by the hand.

Now Pique has decided to explain what happened in the moment the two players were snapped unaware in a carpark after a training session.

The Spanish defender said: "I had just launched my autobiography and Zlatan came to congratulate me.

"I am a very affectionate person and the photographer caught us in the moment I took hold of his hand."

Pique, who was unimpressed with the invasion of privacy somewhere where he did not expect it, added: "The photographer was inside the training ground so it could not have been someone from a gossip magazine."

He blames the press for trying to unsettle the team before the big match. He explained: "We (Barcelona) were about to play against Real Madrid, so I think that the press was looking to destabilise the team."

The image was circulated far and wide - along with rumours of a possible gay romance between the players.

Shakira was surprised at the reaction it caused, saying: "I couldn’t believe that this became something so massive on the internet."

When the rumours were at their peak, the amused Barcelona player even tried to make light of the situation by jokingly stating: "Ibrahimovic is my boyfriend."

The image was captured by a photographer in 2010, when both players still shared the Barcelona changing room, but it is only now that Pique has decided to explain what had happened.

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