Gerard Pique exclusive: Former Barcelona defender outlines how the Kings League can draw in football's next generation

"It's always good to be back," announces Gerard Pique with fondness as he declines the offer of a pause between interviews. "I love being in the UK as I spent four years growing up here. The weather is always grey but at least it's not raining."

Osterley's overcast sky is a far cry from Barcelona. But for a man so decorated from an illustrious playing career, not even a deluge could dampen the spirits of someone fresh from an early flight who has won it all. That his medals totalling over 30 are boxed in an office back home betrays an individual in touch with the present.

As welcoming a guest as he was gracious on the pitch, Pique is a world champion turned visionary hell-bent on creating a version of the game that is more in keeping with the demands of the modern world.

There have been other, less successful, ventures but having hung up his boots following 18 years at the sharp end of the professional game, Pique is confident he has backed another winner.

The Kings League is just over a year on from its launch in Spain, an offbeat seven-a-side game where team owners are content creators expanding to the Americas with Mexico hosting an inaugural World Cup in May.

Where late goals count double in 40-minute matches, draws don't exist and audiences are larger than some LaLiga games, what drove one of the greatest defenders of all time to pursue what has been described as the Twenty20 of football?

"I felt there was a need to appeal to the next generation," Pique explains to Sky Sports. "There's a lot of young people who are attracted more to entertainment that is short and exciting.

"It was important to find something where they couldn't lose focus. What is happening with traditional football is that 90 minutes is too long for the