FC BARCELONA AND SPAIN STAR

GERARD PIQUÉ NAMED

NEWEST LAUREUS AMBASSADOR

·         Winner of two Champions Leagues for FC Barcelona and 2010 World Cup

for Spain joins Laureus Family

·         ‘I am delighted to be a Laureus Ambassador and I will do everything I can to support them in their cause.’ – says Gerard Piqué

• Laureus supports more than 150 projects around the world which have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people

·         Picture of Gerard Pique on www.laureusarchive.com

BARCELONA, February 19, 2015 - Gerard Piqué, one of Spain’s greatest and most popular footballers, is today named as the newest Laureus Ambassador.

One of the most admired defenders in football, Piqué has played for FC Barcelona since 2008, winning La Liga four times, the Champions League twice and the Spanish Cup on two occasions.  He has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world and was a key member of the highly successful Spanish national team which won the 2010 World Cup and the European Championship two years later.

Piqué said: “I believe in the importance of helping the most disadvantaged people through sport, especially youth and children. This is one of the characteristics that we, as sportspeople, have been instilled with at FC Barcelona since we were kids. I am very familiar with the great work that the Laureus Foundation does worldwide, improving the lives of millions of young people. I am delighted to be a Laureus Ambassador and I will do everything I can to support them in their cause.”

He now joins the Laureus Family to support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which uses sport to achieve social change and improve the lives of young people around the world.

Gabriel Masfurroll, President of the Laureus Foundation in Spain, said: “We are delighted to have the co-operation and involvement of a great athlete like Gerard Piqué. It is a privilege that he takes part in this great project which is the Laureus Foundation and that we can together reach more young people and children in need.”

Piqué made his debut for the Spanish national team in February 2009 and he was the first-choice centre-back, playing alongside Puyol at the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. He started all seven matches as Spain won the tournament, beating the Netherlands 1–0 in the final. With Piqué and Puyol in defence, Spain conceded only two goals.

Piqué played every minute of Spain's European Championship victory in 2012, partnering Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos in the centre of defence. He was one of three Spanish defenders included in UEFA's Team of the Tournament.

Piqué joins an impressive list of former and current sportsmen and women as Laureus Ambassadors, who, along with the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

The mission of the Foundation is to utilise the power of sport to address social problems through a global programme of sports related community development initiatives. Laureus currently supports more than 150 projects around the world which have helped to improve the lives of millions of young people.