Gerard Pique Made 3 World Cups for Spain; His Ex Shakira Has Now Performed at 4

Shakira headlined the halftime show at the 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey, marking her fourth tournament on soccer’s grandest stage.

At New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026, Shakira takes the stage with her dancers for the Topps Final Halftime Show, midway through the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final between Spain and Argentina. Photo by Lars Baron / Getty Images.

At New York/New Jersey Stadium on July 19, 2026, Shakira performs during the halftime show of the FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina. Photo by Vincent Carchietta / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters.

Her run started in 2006 in Germany, when she closed the final with “Hips Don’t Lie.” Four years later came the one everyone remembers: “Waka Waka” for South Africa 2010, a song that outlasted the tournament itself. She followed with “La La La” for Brazil 2014, then returned in 2026 to headline the opening ceremony alongside Burna Boy before the final.

Shakira poses at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford after her halftime performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final between Spain and Argentina on July 19, 2026. Photo by Agustin Marcarian / Reuters.

Gerard Piqué’s own count stopped at three. He played for Spain in 2010, 2014, and 2018, lifting the trophy in South Africa the same summer Shakira’s anthem was everywhere. He never made another tournament after 2018.

Gerard Pique watches on from the pitch during a LaLiga match between FC Barcelona and UD Almeria at Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona, November 2022. Photo by Alex Caparros / Getty Images.

They actually met in 2010 on the set of the “Waka Waka” video, where Piqué made a brief cameo. They went public in March 2011 with an Instagram photo, and he joined her onstage at one of her Spain concerts that May. Their first major red-carpet appearance together came at the FIFA Ballon d’Or awards in January 2012. They settled in Barcelona, where Piqué played for FC Barcelona, and had two sons: Milan Piqué Mebarak, born January 22, 2013, and Sasha Piqué Mebarak, born January 29, 2015.

Shakira smiles as Gerard Piqué leans in close during the Davis Cup Presentation in New York on September 5, 2019. Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP via Getty Images.

After 11 years, they announced their split on June 4, 2022, in a joint statement asking for privacy “for the well-being of our children, who are our maximum priority.” Spanish media reported the relationship ended after Shakira discovered Piqué had cheated, though neither has ever confirmed it. They reached a custody agreement in November 2022, and Shakira moved to Miami with the boys. She later called the breakup “the darkest hour of my life.”

She got the last word in music. On her Bizarrap session, she sang about trading a Rolex for a Casio, a shot at Piqué and his new girlfriend Clara Chía Martí that turned into a global hit. Piqué, who retired from soccer that same year, has said he’d rather keep his personal life out of the press.

Now the scoreboard on World Cups reads four to three, and it’s the singer who’s ahead.

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