AT PIQUE OF HIS POWERS

Pep Guardiola began to leave him out of the Barcelona team. His relationship with the singer Shakira began to be used as a stick to beat him with by some of his harshest critics and by those who have nothing better to do than speculate about celebrity.

Meanwhile, Piqué's mind was running faster than he was. "It's difficult to explain but it's like you lose a bit of feeling for a while and you begin to ask yourself, 'will I ever get that back?'. When you are on your game you get back into the dressing room, you sit alone for a second or two and you say to yourself, 'man, you were on fire today'.

"It doesn't matter whether the game itself was hard or simple; you need that feeling of telling yourself your performance rocked or else you just can't be at peace with yourself. For a while I lost that completely.

"I didn't know why, or how to change it but, for example, after the Ireland game at this tournament, I knew I'd got it back. When that feeling's gone it's pretty scary. You ask yourself, 'if you aren't enjoying this, then why are you doing it?'."

Most of us would give our back teeth to be Gerard Piqué. Young (he's 25), talented, rich, in love and successful. Most of us are lucky to tick one or two of those boxes. On the outside he looked gregarious, delighted with his modelling contracts and pleased to be seen with Shakira in his life. But all the fuss over his lifestyle and his performances actually hit home.

"People say that now I've got lots of things going on in my life, inside my head, but, no, I'm a footballer. I'm here because of football. I love football more and more every day and there is nothing that matters more to me than training, competing, playing well and winning.

"I used to be pretty sure I'd be out of this game by, say, 30, because I just couldn't imagine staying focused and motivated longer than that. But when the sensation of playing and being happy goes away you begin to realise that you need the adrenalin, the changing room banter, the feeling of winning and having shone.

"One day not so long ago Xavi said to me, 'I know what you are thinking about, I thought that way too. I thought I'd not keep going on and on but here I am, in my 30s, and I'm damn well staying till they kick me out'. [Barcelona team-mate Carles] Puyol will still be here when he's 40 and while that's not for me I think that if injuries allow then I'll probably make it through till 34 or something like that."

Football and celebrity are usually as comfortable bedfellows as a mongoose and a cobra. One needs dedication, athleticism, early nights and total focus. The other needs front-page headlines, midnight parties, long-haul flights and more headlines.

For all that those who know the couple say Shakira is a "fantastic influence" on the towering Piqué, some people can't avoid putting two and two together and making 16. His form dips a little so it's his pop star girlfriend's fault. No further examination or argument. No wonder he gets ticked off.

"I know all the things people say about us but I don't care for myself," he argues. "But it makes me angry for her. I fell in love with Shakira, not her profession. It's not fun when the photographers pursue you walking down the street but you just have to get on with it. What else is there? You try to live your life."

There was another potentially problematic partnership in his life, too. Puyol's absence through injury left Piqué paired with Sergio Ramos in Spain's back line. The Barcelona stopper and the Real Madrid centre-half. Trouble?

The more you speak to these two, watch them interact with people and watch them play, the easier it is to see that while they are not identical they are far more alike than either of them would probably care to admit.

Athletic, handsome, talented, aggressive and with more than a touch of a rebellious streak. It would be unnatural if they didn't get a bit sparky from time to time. Add the bad feeling that has tainted the Clasico since Jose Mourinho's arrival at Madrid and you can see where things might have gone a bit Pete Tong.

Instead they have been sensational together. One goal conceded in this tournament and continuing a record which has allowed Spain to keep a clean sheet in all nine tournament knockout games since 2006. The Ramos-Piqué thing works.

Neither is immune to error but they work like Trojans to win. Piqué said: "Game by game we've been getting to know each other better and been proving the people who said we couldn't get along wrong. I think we've become a good partnership and neither of us likes losing very much."

Tonight they'll have their work cut out if Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli play as they did against Germany. But Piqué's form, his love of life and love of the game have all come back at the right time. I'll bet that by the end of this evening he'll have made history with Spain with a third successive tournament triumph, but how they do that will be interesting.

Italy remain Spain's bogey team. I guess by now everyone in the world knows La Roja haven't beaten the Azzurri in 90 competitive minutes either since the world began or 1920, whichever is more recent. In their group game Italy not only scored the only goal Spain have conceded thus far but also ruffled some red feathers.

Pirlo's passing, Balotelli's power, Antonio Di Natale's wonderful curving finish round Iker Casillas and Gigi Buffon twice spooking Fernando Torres into missing when clean through: these were sweaty moments. What's more the Italians look to have got better since then.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque told me before the tournament started. "I worry about Italy, whenever they have a scandal back home they unite and fight for the cause." Should Spain have concocted a pact with Croatia in the group, given that a 2-2 draw would have taken Slaven Bilic's team through with Spain and sent Italy back home?

"I will never, ever repent on the decision we took to make sure we played that game fair and square and we played to win" Del Bosque said this week.

Part of what makes Spain my favourites tonight is that added to the copious talent of Piqué, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Casillas and co these guys have been blessed with a steely winning attitude. They are addicted to success, work for it, dream about it, talk about it and should now be about to savour it again. A key factor will be the first goal. When Italy got it in Group C, Fabregas restored parity within three minutes and later told me that he thought this was vital. "Let the Italians go ahead and they'll lock off the game," he said. "You have to get a goal back very quickly to stop them doing that."

Good luck to Italy coach Cesare Prandelli. Like Del Bosque, he is a real gentleman of the game and someone who believes in flair, pace and entertainment as means of achieving great things. With the talent on show and the attitudes of the two coaches we may just get the final this tournament deserves. Enjoy.