Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is facing a massive backlash on social media after reports emerged earlier this week that he cheated on his long-time partner, pop icon Shakira.
Spanish outlet El Periodico said that the Barca centre-back and the Colombian singer and songwriter were no longer together, with Pique living alone in an apartment in the Catalan capital. This came after he was allegedly caught by the "Hips Don't Lie" singer having an affair with another woman.
However, there has been swirling speculation on Twitter that the woman with whom Pique had an alleged relationship is none other than the mother of his 17-year-old Barca teammate Pablo Gavi.
The claims, however, turned out to be false, as El Periodico's report mentioned that the woman with whom Pique allegedly had a fling was blonde and in her 20s. Gavi's mother, on the other hand, is a brunette in her late 30s.
"The woman who could have put Pique and Shakira on the brink of breaking up is a young blonde in her 20s. She is studying and works as an event hostess", the media outlet said.
Yet the rumours of an alleged romantic liaison between Pique and Gavi's mother spread like wildfire on Twitter, with many social media users slamming the football star for "cheating" on Shakira.
"So Pique cheated on Shakira with Gavi's mother. They can make a TV series With FC Barcelona and the drama will be >>> any telenovela", a user wrote on the micro-blogging platform.
"Pique cheated on this woman. The most stupid man in the world. The woman of my dreams, Shakira deserves something much better than this man", another added.
"Pique saw Modric being Rodrygo's dad & decided to be one for Gavi as well. Unreal idolising by Pique", a third said in a sarcastic jibe at the World Cup winner.
Meanwhile, there were a few who had fun at Pique and Gavi's expense by posting memes about the whole saga on the social network.
Coming back to Pique's footballing career, the former Spain international remains one of the central figures at Camp Nou.
During the 2021-22 season, he played a key role in resurrecting the Blaugrana's campaign helping them finish second in the La Liga after the Catalonia-based side fell to seventh following Lionel Messi's departure last summer.