Gerard Pique has hailed the impact of Sir Alex Ferguson on his career, labelling the Manchester United legend 'a second father'.

"I moved to Manchester United when I was a 17 year old kid," Pique said ahead of this weekend's Champions League final.

"Nemanja Vidic was five years older than me and Rio Ferdinand nearly nine years and at the time they were the best central defenders in the world. They never had a bad game!

"I'll always be grateful to Sir Alex, who was like a second father to me, for letting me move back to Barcelona.

"He wanted me to stay and fight for a place, but he understood what Barca meant to me."

Pique is gunning for a fourth Champions League winner's medal against Juventus on Sunday.