Footballer Gerard Pique previously denied that he and Shakira are anything other than just good friends.

But he is going to have to work a bit harder than that to convince us that he isn’t romantically involved with the Colombian singer, thanks to a photo which has appeared on his Facebook page.

The snap shows the former Manchester United defender, who now plays for FC Barcelona, celebrating his birthday last week with friends – and it appears Shakira was one of them.

And the 34-year-old – wearing a short black dress and lacy tights at the party – looks radiant as she stands close to Pique in the picture.

She probably had good reason to celebrate since she and Pique share the same birthday – February 2 – although he is ten years her junior. And to be fair, this photo does not show much of a romance.

However, it is not the only thing which has further fuelled speculation that the pair are an item.
Shakira – who announced in January she and her boyfriend of 11 years Antonio de la Rua had ended their relationship – sparked further rumours when she recently moved to Barcelona, where she is renting a luxury house on the outskirts of the city.

“I wish I owned a house here because I love Barcelona,” she said last year.

The property, which is on the site of an old convent, is also where Shakira stayed last year while she was filming the video for her single Loca.

The singer first met Pique last spring while shooting the video to her song Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) – the official track of the 2010 World Cup.
Barcelona-based newspaper El Periodico de Catalunya claimed they had a string of secret encounters following their initial meeting.

Shakira has previously dismissed reports of a romance. At a recent press conference in Barcelona she described the claims as a ‘waka-rumour’ and added: ‘You shouldn’t take any notice of waka-rumours.’

Pique was also quick to deny any involvement, dismissing rumours following Shakira’s split with de la Rua.

“We’re just friends,’ he told reporters at Barcelona Airport last month. There’s nothing more to it. I don’t know anything about the break-up. We’re just friends and that’s that.”

Do you think they are just friends?