Gerard Pique: I tricked drink driving police by sucking a coin - but somehow Fergie still knew

Gerard Pique has revealed that he escaped a drink driving charge at Manchester United by sucking on a coin - but that Sir Alex Ferguson still somehow found out.

The defender was 20 years old, and a year away from joining Barcelona, when he drove through a red light in Manchester.

In an interview with The Wild Project YouTube channel, Pique said he feared his career “was going to hell” after he failed a breathalyser test when he was pulled over by police.

“I ran a traffic light and was stopped by the police,” Pique said. “It was the year before I went to Barca. Suddenly I blow, I test positive and I find myself in a police van handcuffed going to jail.

“All the drunkenness left me suddenly. My career is going to hell. At that moment you think, 'What the hell is going on?’

“They give you the bag to put everything you have, and they took me to a room. The policeman left for a moment, and I was desperate.

“I had some coins left. Some time ago I had been told that if you sucked on the coins you would not test positive. I started to suck them.

“Miraculously I was saved from that one. I doubt it was the coins. Instead of going home, I went to the casino by taxi.”

He may have dodged the law - but there was one man that Pique could not escape. “I found out later that Ferguson knew, in Manchester everyone knows who you are and someone from the police must have told him,” he added.

“One day he said to me, ‘You should know that I know’. I said nothing and that was it. I imagine that he found out some time after. If he had found out the next day I might have gone in more trouble.”

Pique, who had joined United as a trainee in 2004, re-signed for Barcelona a year after his fortunate escape for a fee of around £5 million.

He has since gone on to make more than 100 appearances for Spain and is widely recognised as one of the best central defenders in football’s modern era.