Gerard Pique has paid Alex Ferguson a wonderful compliment from his time at Manchester United

Sure he's only a lovely boy

Barcelona are getting ready to try and win their fifth European Cup title this weekend, but one member of their squad is remembering his first. Gerard Pique was a fresh faced 21-year-old with Shakira posters on his bedroom wall when he was part of the Manchester United squad that beat Chelsea in the 2008 final in Moscow on penalties. The Spain international lasted four season at Old Trafford before departing that summer to rejoin Barcelona whom he left as a 17-year-old. Ahead of trying to win his fourth Champions League medal this weekend, the classy centre-half has been lavishing praise on the man who took him from Spain to England, Alex Ferguson. In a touching tribute in the Daily Mail the defender praises the influence the Scot had on the then teenager

"I’ll always be grateful to Sir Alex, who was like a second father to me, for letting me move back to Barcelona. He wanted me to stay and fight for a place, but understood what Barca means to me."

"I moved to United when I was a 17-year-old kid. Nemanja Vidic is five years older than me and Rio nearly nine years and at the time they were the best central defenders in the world. They never had a bad game!

"I learned so much during my time at United – sharing a dressing room with Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelroy, Ryan Giggs at such a young age was an amazing experience."

"I didn't play as much as I would have liked but it was a masters in development both as a player and a person. Also, although I was in the shadow of two great players, I did contribute - in the 2008 Champions League campaign I played three times and scored two goals."

Pique is still only 28, but it's a wonderful tribute to Ferguson who was known for his attention and care of younger players who arrived to Old Trafford during his time with the club.

Fans who have had to endure Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans in the meantime must wonder why the club ever left him go.