Gerard Piqué was missing from the adoring crowd at Super Bowl LIV when Shakira slayed the halftime show, but he definitely had an acceptable excuse. As the “She Wolf” singer, 43, took the stage with Jennifer Lopez, 50, and a sea of dancers to perform their greatest hits, the camera panned to celebrity fans, like Beyonce and Jay Z, Cardi B, Lizzo, Emily Ratajkowski, Paul Rudd, and Jennifer’s fiancé, Alex Rodriguez. But no Gerard. It turns out that it was all a case of unfortunate timing. The soccer star had his own fútbol game to attend!
Gerard, who plays for FC Barcelona, was facing off against Levante in Spain on February 2 as Shakira took the stage in Miami at the Super Bowl. Essentially, it boils down to “work conflicts” in the most celebrity way possible. It was a great day for the couple of seven years, who share sons Milan Piqué Mebarak, 7, and Sasha Piqué Mebarak, 5. Gerard’s team won! And Shakira undoubtedly shared a major win with her and JLo’s incredible performances. The time apart must have been tougher for the couple, considering that February 2 is both of their birthdays. They’ll surely celebrate their birthdays and major accomplishments when they reunite soon.
Shakira and Gerard have a fairytale love story. The couple met in 2010, when he appeared in the music video for “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”, the song she wrote for that year’s FIFA World Cup. Gerard tried to shoot his shot with her after the World Cup by — get this — writing to her to ask her what the weather was like, he told Spain’s TV3 in 2016. They started flirting and got together. While they broke up a few months later, they found their way back to each other in early 2011. And the rest was history.
Fortunately, Jennifer’s love, A-Rod was in the house when she and her daughter, Emme Muniz, performed with Shakira. A-Rod was spotted dancing on the field with his daughter, Ella Rodriguez. We’re sure Gerard would have been right there with him if given the chance.