Celebrations are in order for Shakira and Gerard Piqué whose second baby boy arrived at 10pm local time on 29 January in Barcelona. Their son, born by caesarean section, is called Sasha, the player's proud grandfather has confirmed. Amador Bernabéu told reporters that he had seen a photo of the baby, who supposedly looks like Gerard.
Shakira and Gerard have named their new baby Sasha Photo: © UNICEF
"He's called Sasha which is Alexander in Russian," said Amador. "They've told me he looks like Gerard. (Their first son) Milan looked like Shakira when he was born but this one looks more like his father." The grandad hasn't had a chance to see his new great-grandson because of a pressing engagement on Thursday. At midday he had an appointment to make Sasha a member of Barcelona FC, where Gerard plays, just as he did for Milan.
Gerard Piqué's grandfather revealed the newborn's name
Shakira revealed on her website that "the name Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent and means 'defender of mankind' and 'warrior.'" The brief statement also revealed that "both mother and child are in excellent health". The birth comes two years after Milan made his debut in the very same hospital. The toddler turned two on 22 January and his parents both have their birthday on 2 February, making this a very special time in the Piqué-Mebarak household. Pop princess Shak will be 38, while her partner will be 28. Expectation had been high in Catalonia with reporters camped outside the city's Teknon Clinic as early as Tuesday. However, the couple kept up their normal routine, with Gerard training as usual and even travelling to Madrid for a match on Wednesday.
However, on Thursday evening the duo slipped quietly into hospital by a side door, followed shortly afterwards by the singer's brother.
The family recently held a unique baby shower to raise funds for deprived children Photo: © UNICEF
The couple asked followers to donate money to UNICEF, an idea they had when expecting Milan. Their first Virtual Baby Shower in 2013 was a huge success; over 80,000 children were vaccinated against polio, nearly four tons of therapeutic food helped children suffering from malnutrition, plus around 1,000 anti-malaria bed nets and nearly 200,000 oral rehydration salts sachets were distributed. UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Shakira was hoping fans would be just as generous this time around. Ahead of the birth, she said: "Now that we are soon welcoming our second child we want to help other children around the world and also contribute to a long-lasting solution for getting children living in extreme poverty the supplies they need to survive," she said.