Gerard Pique took Shakira’s name for the first time in recent interview after his messy breakup with her following 12-year-long romance.

The former Barcelona star talked about the changes in his life following the formation of Kings League and his headline making split from the Waka Waka singer.

In an interview with TikToker John Nellis, the father-of-two revealed why he needed a break from football and limelight.

“It was crazy, I didn’t watch any of the [World Cup] matches, except for the final. I needed to disconnect and go on holiday for a few days,” Pique said.

“The last few months have been complicated for me, I needed to disconnect from football,” the sports star added.

At one point during the interview, Pique was asked about who was the most famous person in his phonebook.

“I would say… Shakira, who was my partner,” he replied, which marks the first time he has taken her name publically since parting ways with her.

He went on to add that it’s the Colombian singer as long as it is not related to the world of football “because in football Cristiano [Ronaldo] is the most followed in the world.”

Pique was hailed by Cristina Tarrega, according to report by Marca Magazine, for being respectful towards Shakira despite her lashing out at him in her latest song.

“I think what he has done is very elegant because I know that he has contacts worldwide, perhaps much more famous, but he gave her that place,” she said.