FC Barcelona star Gerard Pique was trying to enjoy a short break with his family, but now finds himself in a minor controversy over photos taken from the trip.

The defender and his wife, pop superstar Shakira, were surfing with their kids over the weekend. They were spotted by reporters during the outing in Cantabria, where members of the footballer's team reportedly attempted to delete the photos and prevent them from being published.

According to Diario Montanes, the Pique family was on the outing with a large group of people. Despite the group's attempts to stop the photos from coming out, the publication went ahead and released the images.

There is a small controversy surrounding the way Pique's camp behaved when they were attempting to get the photographer to delete the photos. Details about the incident remain scarce, and it remains to be seen if Pique will take legal action over the publication of the photos.

It is believed that the defender was not keen on being seen surfing while he should be concentrating on his recovery. Last week, he suffered a calf injury that saw him being taken out early in Barcelona's clash against Athletic Club. It is unclear if he will return to training on Monday alongside the rest of the Barcelona squad. However, it does not take a genius to realise that surfing is not the kind of activity one would expect to be doing while trying to overcome an injury.

Pique was able to enjoy some down time during the international break after manager Ronald Koeman gave players Thursday to Sunday off. The squad is expected to return to training on Monday except for those who represented their countries during the international break. Koeman has not reacted to the photos, and it remains to be seen if Pique will re-join training.

If the player has not recovered quickly enough, Koeman may see the activity as a careless risk. Barcelona have not commented about the issue, and it remains to be seen if Pique's commitment will be put in question even after having just agreed to a massive pay cut to help the club.

Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique has been at Barcelona since rejoining the club from Manchester United in 2008. Getty