Gerard Pique reveals he would have retired if Barcelona had not offered him a new deal

Gerard Pique has vowed to continue at Barcelona for the remainder of his career after revealing he would have hung up his boots if the La Liga giants had not offered him a new deal.

The Spain international developed through the youth ranks of La Masia but in 2004 he decided to move to Manchester United to experience English football.

But Pique failed to make a true breakthrough under Sir Alex Ferguson and in 2008, current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola brought him back to the Nou Camp.

The Spaniard has since garnered a reputation as one of the best centre-backs around Europe, helping Barcelona to win three Champions Leagues, six La Liga titles and five Copa del Rey trophies.

The 30-year-old defender still had contract at the Nou Camp until 2019 but earlier this month the club announced an agreement to extend his stay until 2022.

Barcelona have also agreed to increase his release clause to a stunning €500m (£440m, $617m) in order to ward off potential suitors following a summer in which the Catalans lost Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain after his €222m clause was triggered.

But Pique has claimed that he wouldn't have follow in the footsteps of Neymar anyway as he doesn't want to ever play for a club that isn't Barcelona again.

"Barça is my home and I thank everyone who has made it possible to continue here," Pique said during a press conference held on Monday (29 January) after he officially put pen to paper on the new deal.

"Staying here was always the natural thing. I never planned for anything else. This has always been my home. Every season we've won at least one title. That's the best thing about my time here, the fact that we've always competed for trophies until the very end.

"I hope that it stays the same until I retire. It was Barca or nothing. I am not motivated to play for another club. I can only see myself in a Barça shirt. If I had not extended my contract then I would have stopped playing because I only play football because I play for Barça."

Pique will turn 31 next month but the former United defender is so happy at the Nou Camp that he won't rule out signing further deals once his new contract expires in 2022.

"I hope it won't be my last deal. To end my career here is something I have always wanted since I came back [from Manchester United] in 2008," Pique added.

"I want to enjoy this moment, this day... and this season, which is going well but we have to keep going because there's a long way to go."

Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta recently inked new deals at the Nou Camp following months of speculation linking them with moves away.

However, the announcement of Pique's renewal came almost as a surprise for Barcelona fans with reports having said little about it.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu explained that Pique's determination to continue at the Nou Camp made things very easy for the club as the negotiations with the defender's agent were straightforward.

"It's a special day, Gerard Piqué is an experienced player, a Barça fan from birth and let's hope we can continue to keep winning trophies. The deal was an easy one," Bartomeu said.

Pique also confirmed that he will soon be able to focus solely on his club after reiterating his plans to retire from international duties following the upcoming summer World Cup.

"The logical would be for me to leave [the Spain's national team] after the World Cup," he reiterated. "It has been a spectacular run and I have said a lot of times that it is a pride to wear the national team shirt but for a reason of motivation (he plans to stop) because you want to centre on something else."