Barcelona president Joan Laporta admits they warned Gerard Pique before the start of the season that he wouldn't play regularly.

Pique retired last week after accepting he would see little action for the remainder of the campaign.

Laporta revealed: "We told him we didn't count on him.

"But he is a competitive man, a winner; he still saw himself as a starter and decided to continue. When he understood, he made the decision.

"If he had felt the trust of the coach and had been a permanent starter, he would not have left."