GERARD PIQUE will always call Alex Ferguson 'The Boss'.
But letting the centre-back return to Barcelona for just £4million must surely be one of Fergie's biggest-ever regrets.The Barca superstar is now rated by most as the world's best defender.
In the three years since leaving Manchester United to rejoin his boyhood club, Pique has won three league titles, one Champions League and the World Cup to boot.
ADVICE ... Fergie and Pique in '07
Yet, despite making just 12 Premier League appearances in four seasons as a United player, he still refers to Fergie as the main man.
Pique, preparing for tomorrow's Champions League final against United, said: "Sir Alex is always The Boss. He always will be. He's absolutely incredible. He's won loads of titles and has made Manchester United the best team in England.
"He's one of the best coaches in the world. We call Guardiola 'Mister', which is boss in Spanish.
"I still remember the day I told him I wanted to leave. I went into his office and just told him straightaway.
"I told him I appreciated him a lot, I had had three great years in Manchester and enjoyed playing a lot but that I wanted to leave to go home.
"Barcelona is my home and I was a fan of them since I was a child. He understood completely and our relationship is still good."
Signing Pique was Pep Guardiola's masterstroke.
The Barca boss had just taken charge and knew Pique from his days at Barcelona's academy, so the decision to bring him back was a no-brainer.
Guardiola rode to his rescue as Pique could not dislodge either Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic to break into the Red Devils' first team. The rest is history.
Pique, who spent a season on loan at Real Zaragoza while with United, added: "Maybe Alex would want me to still be in Manchester but you'd have to ask him. I don't know if he regrets letting me leave. At the time I left it was a good decision for him, for me, for Manchester and Barcelona.
"When I arrived here I was lucky to have a lot of minutes to show I could play. Maybe I could have done that at United but I took the decision to leave."
Pique, 24, admits training with the best players on the planet, like Lionel Messi, at Barcelona has made him a much better defender than when he was at United.
He continued: "It's a challenge every day at Barcelona, training with Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and all the others.
"I try to do my best. I'm fighting against the best players in the world and you have to be really, really good to stop them.
"It was the same in Manchester when I was there. Every day I had to train with Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo and every day was a challenge." Pique knows he faces a massive test trying to stop close pal Rooney at Wembley.
But he vowed to leave friendship aside once they step on to the biggest stage in the European game.
The Barca ace recalled a typical Fergie rant when Pique and Rooney turned up for training wearing yellow boots.
They both got it in the neck as Fergie turned on the hairdryer and sent them back to the Carrington dressing room to change their footwear.
Pique added: "Wayne will be more dangerous as a striker. Wayne is always a striker at heart and one of the best as he always scores a lot of goals.
"We will have to be really focused not to give him space, not to give him time to score.
"We were close at United. I remember The Boss made us both change our boots in training, as he didn't like us wearing yellow ones.
"We have a good relationship but during the game there are no friends. We will fight our interest."
Pique insists defending for the Catalan giants is a thankless task as they are always in danger of being caught flat-footed.
It means Pique and his team-mate Carles Puyol are always in 'panic-mode' to put out fires on the pitch.
He said: "We panic all the time. Even if we're controlling the game with 75 per cent possession of the ball, you have to really concentrate as teams will try and counter-attack and we have to run back to stop them.
"We're not panicking exactly but we have to be vigilant. We know Puyol, he's a really good professional and keeps us on our toes.
"Even if we're winning 5-0, he keeps us all concentrated until the game has finished.
"It's a great experience for me to have Puyol alongside me. When you have a player like Puyol in the team, who's been here for 12 or 13 years, he's a great example."
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