Spain defender Gerard Pique on Friday denied rumours of a rift with fellow central defender Sergio Ramos, insisting the two “get on fine.”

The defending champions have been at pains to deny any unhealthy rivalry between players from Pique’s Barcelona and Real Madrid, Ramos’ club outfit - but the media have speculated that the defensive pair do not get on.

Spain might have fielded an all-Barca tandem of Pique and veteran Carles Puyol at the tournament, as at the last World Cup - but Puyol will miss out with injury as he faces knee surgery.

“I get on fine with Sergio Ramos,” insisted former Manchester United man Pique.

“It was also said this season that I didn’t get on with (outgoing Barca boss Pep) Guardiola at Barcelona and that was never so. I said it many times and say so again,” added Pique, who started just 17 league games for Barcelona, as injuries and suspension took a toll.

Guardiola was also said to be irked about the distractions of Pique’s relationship with pop star girlfriend Shakira.

Thanks to his much-publicised friendship with the Colombian singer, Pique is as much a feature of gossip magazines as Spain’s sporting press and many believe his high-profile private life has had an adverse effect on his on-pitch form.

He disagrees.

“Things get exaggerated,” he told reporters, while saying that there is always a feverish amount of speculation and rumours which do the rounds regarding goings-on, real and imagined, at Spain’s biggest clubs.

“There was a lot of tension between the two teams. But in the media “things get distorted.”