Shakira and Soccer Player Gerard Pique’s Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Credit: John Shearer/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Shakira and Soccer Player Gerard Pique's Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

The way it was. Shakira and soccer player Gerard Piqué were together for 12 years before announcing their eventual breakup.

“[Gerard is] with me because he wants to be with Shakira the person, not the celebrity,” the “Hips Don’t Lie” performer, who was first linked to the professional athlete in 2011, previously told Latina magazine in 2014. “There’s real love, there’s no ulterior motives. And I’m with him because he’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met. We want the same things, we like the same things, we hate the same things. I have never been with someone so passionate in my life.”

She added: “If it weren’t because of my music projects, I would be pregnant already [with a second child] I would love to have eight or nine kids with Gerard — my own futbol team. … When you have a baby, when you feel his love, you feel so at peace with the world. You just want to share the good news and share how happy you feel.”

The twosome, who kept their romance relatively private through the years, expanded their brood when they welcomed sons Milan and Sasha in January 2013 and January 2015, respectively.

“I think asking questions is the most ingenious way to discover the truth — if there is any truth to things. There can be many truths, like two sides of a coin. I often try to apply that to the upbringing of my kids,” the Colombia native — who never tied the knot with Piqué — told Cosmopolitan in November 2021. “I’m a tiger mom and a helicopter mom and all these different moms.”

She added at the time: “That’s when having a partner who’s completely opposite in that sense comes in handy. My mind never stops. I dream about my kids. I worry about them constantly. I torture my poor husband. Well, he’s not really my — I don’t know what to call him! He’s my baby daddy. I torture him about every issue I see with my kids.”

Shakira and the FC Barcelona star’s relationship made headlines in June 2022 after reports surfaced that the musician caught her then-beau having an affair. While the pair did not address the allegations, they confirmed their split several days later.

“We regret to confirm that we are separating,” the now-exes wrote in a joint statement at the time. “For the wellbeing of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy.”

Scroll below for a complete timeline of Shakira’s relationship with Piqué through the years:

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June 2010

The twosome were introduced ahead of the 2010 World Cup when Shakira was tapped to sing the tournament’s official song that year. Piqué was one of the athletes who appeared in her “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” music video.

Credit: INF/INSTAR

March 2011

They confirmed their relationship nearly one year after filming her music video with a sweet social media selfie. She wrote in Spanish, “I present my sun to you.”

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January 2012

The duo made their red carpet debut at the FIFA Ballon D’Or Awards in Zurich, Switzerland, when he was tasked to present a coveted athletic award.

Credit: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

January 2013

Shakira’s rep confirmed to Us on January 22 that the former couple welcomed their first child, son Milan.

"We are happy to announce the birth of Milan Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué,” the singer wrote on her website, explaining that his name means “dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification.”

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March 2014

The former Voice mentor told Latina that she “would love” to have her “own football team” of children with Piqué. (Soccer teams typically have eleven players.)

Credit: John Shearer/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

April 2014

Shakira made headlines one month earlier in a Billboard profile, alleging that her then-partner was "territorial" if she works with other men. By April, she clarified their romantic status.

“Hey guys – I recently said in some interviews that my man could be territorial. For the record, I was being humorous and now I see that some press took it very literally,” Shakira wrote via Facebook. “The reality is that we have a beautiful relationship of mutual trust, and jealousy has never been an issue on either side.”

Credit: L'Agencia/INFphoto/INSTAR

January 2015

Shakira and Piqué welcomed their second son, Sasha, on January 29.

Credit: Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post/MEGA

October 2017

After the duo faced breakup speculation, Us confirmed the reports were “100 percent” false.

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January 2018

After shutting down split rumors, the duo were spotted on a family trip to New York City.

“Anyone around them could see that the split rumors from last year were pure BS,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “They literally looked like they were on their honeymoon! They were absolutely inseparable and squeezed in a hug or kiss whenever or wherever they could. It was adorable.”

Credit: Courtesy of Gerard Pique/Instagram

August 2020

“Family time,” the soccer star captioned an Instagram photo with Shakira and their sons during a vacation in the Maldives.

Credit: Courtesy of Gerard Pique/Instagram

July 2021

Piqué and the “Waka Waka” musician enjoyed their “holiday vibes” in July 2021.

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February 2022

“My poor husband, slash boyfriend, slash baby daddy, whatever you want to call him, he has to wait up for me so long. He’s tired of waiting up,” Shakira jokingly said on the “Planet Weirdo with Holly H” podcast, nearly four months before announcing her breakup, of how they handle disagreements. “[Because] Colombian time is not the same as Catalonian time, Spanish time. His mind is structured like that and mine. … I’ve become a lot more punctual since I met him. [But] the times that we actually fight is because I’m late and he’s waiting up.”

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June 2022

The pair confirmed their split on June 4 after 12 years together.

Credit: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Xavier Bonilla/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

August 2022

After the soccer star was photographed packing on the PDA with Clara Chia following his split from Shakira, a source exclusively told Us that she was “heartbroken” that her former beau had already moved on.

The insider added: “She is happy to have her kids to lean on as this is a tough time for her.”

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September 2022

Shakira broke her silence on her split from Piqué for the first time, telling Elle that the breakup has been very hard on the couple's children. "It’s been tough not only for me, but also for my kids," she explained. "Incredibly difficult. ... I’ve tried to conceal the situation in front of my kids. I try to do it and to protect them, because that’s my number one mission in life. But then they hear things in school from their friends or they come across some disagreeable, unpleasant news online, and it just affects them, you know?”

The "She Wolf" singer added that it was "really hard" to talk about the split publicly. "I’ve remained quiet and just tried to process it all," she said. "It’s hard to talk about it, especially because I’m still going through it, and because I’m in the public eye and because our separation is not like a regular separation."

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

November 2022

Us Weekly confirmed that the former couple signed a custody agreement in regards to their two sons, Milan and Sasha. While details of the arrangement were unknown, a source exclusively told Us that Shakira planned on “moving to Miami” with the boys.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

January 2023

The Colombia native released a song with Argentine DJ Bizarrap that seemingly shaded the former soccer player and his affair with Chia. One week after the tune’s release, Piqué made his relationship with Chia Instagram official by posting a cozy selfie.

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February 2023

In an interview with Irish YouTuber John Nellis, Piqué mentioned his ex by name, claiming that she's the most famous non-soccer player in his phone.

“I would say Shakira, probably, who was my partner,” he revealed. “I’m thinking of Instagram followers and yes, I would say Shakira for that reason.”

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

February 2023

Shakira appeared to slam her ex and his new girlfriend on Valentine's Day, lip syncing to SZA's "Kill Bill" in an Instagram video of herself mopping the floor. She mouthed the lyrics, "I might kill my ex, not the best idea / His new girlfriend's next, how'd I get here?"