Images
Experience says it's not easy to find a center back for Barca.
Gerard Pique
Being called up to the national team is about going with them, playing the best you possibly can, and trying to win. That's how I understand it.
It is very difficult to find a player who stays at the same club for the whole of their career.
I can't stand comparisons to the past. It doesn't matter what we did in previous seasons.
I like to stay busy. I have a lot of things on my mind.
I think, for Catalonia, FC Barcelona means a lot because it is one of the top clubs in the world, and that means that it's a way to show what Catalonia is in the world.
Messi often has a crowd of opponents around him, but with Neymar on the pitch, too, at least two of those opposition players will have to be aware of him.
You try to do the best for your club, and you also create relationships and friendships - with Neymar, my relationship is really strong, even though it really hurt the club when he left. As a friend, I could understand his decision and why he wanted to go to Paris. I tried to be fair to him no matter what.
I was 17 years old and missed many things about Barcelona, particularly the food. Fortunately, Sir Alex Ferguson realised my situation and helped me to grow. For me, the gaffer was like a second father.
It's true that sometimes we have paparazzi or some kind of photographers following us, but you have to live normal. I mean, if you try to not go to the supermarket or not go to the cinema, you won't live properly, and you won't enjoy living. We are trying to be as normal as we can.
At Barcelona, we didn't do gym work until the age of 18. That was really hard.
I am very proud of my three years there, of having decided to go to Manchester first - at 17, it was the perfect time for me to leave home because it helped make me as a person.
I have not betrayed Barca, and I'm surprised anyone would doubt my commitment to Barcelona, because I've been a fan since birth.
In the Franco era, we couldn't defend our ideas.
We have to enjoy ourselves and go for every trophy we can.
There won't be more Messis, and we don't expect there to be more, as there won't be another generation in La Masia like the one with Xavi, Busi, Puyol, Iniesta and me.
We want the best players to be at Barcelona.
I arrived when I was a kid; I was just 17. I would have liked to have played more, but I learned a lot in Manchester.
When one is young, one can become distracted and overconfident.
I remember, when I arrived in England, a lot of people said that my style of play was not for England.
There comes a point when you realise that you're storming forward, that you can beat anyone, and this is what has ended up winning us the league and putting us in two finals.
I am proud to have been part of a Sir Alex Ferguson team.
You're not always at your best.
I have always said that to play for the national team is a pride and a great motivation.
Besides what he does on the field, one must thank Messi's human quality.
I hope to keep being competitive until I retire, and I hope that's here. It's Barca or nothing.
When I can talk about my teammates who help make me a better player, or even the coach who gave me the self-confidence to continue being who I am, these are fundamental people who have had an influence throughout my life and my professional career, and I'm very thankful to them, and they know it.
I always try to say what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling, and without fear of what others will say or think, and that's how I've always lived. Sometimes, this has ended up hurting me, and other times, it has helped me, but I think you can never forget who you are, and I've always been myself, and that one of the things I'm most proud of.
In order to eliminate injustices and to ensure there would be less controversy, I would introduce technology that would make refereeing better.
I would prefer to keep my distance a bit from the cameras. I want to keep a private life.
It seems like when I don't talk so much, people praise my performances more.
I learned so much during my time at United. Sharing a dressing room with Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Ryan Giggs at such a young age was an amazing experience. I didn't play as much as I would have liked, but it was a master's degree in development both as a player and a person.
I think the Catalonian people really identify with Barcelona - the fans are really proud of the team and the club.
I am privileged and very happy to be a professional sportsperson, but should that make people so angry?
We try to study our rivals so we know where to improve.
In a match between Barca and Madrid, there are no favourites. It does not matter how they have been faring.
My routine prior to a big game is the same for any other match. Eat, sleep, chat with teammates during the day, and then, as the match draws near, I listen to my music on the trip to the stadium and zone in.
Not everything, always, is about your performance. It's about the team performance. When the team is not playing well, then normally, you will not play well. It's all about the team.
Real Madrid are such an immense team - a big, big club.
I don't associate this sport with anything except Barcelona.
I know words sometimes have consequences, but I try to choose the correct words every time.
The only problem is that there are a lot of people here in Catalonia who want to separate from Spain and a lot of people who don't want to. We are talking about 50-50, more or less, and that is why it is difficult.
Barcelona is my life, and I do not plan to leave.
To have the chance to win the treble is very good and rare.
As a teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo is a perfect '10.' I admire him professionally because he sets an example to follow both as a player and as a person.
Business is another kind of world that I don't think is as passionate. It is not the pressure to perform as you have in football. It is more about strategy, skill, about how you deal with all the information you have. Some of the things from football I can bring to business, and some things from business I can bring to football.
It's essential to have equilibrium in your life.
I'm very proud of all the career I've had with the national team.
I think when people say Madrid are playing well and Barca are not and vice-versa, or when one wins the Champions League, it's better than the other, I don't think that makes sense. Everyone takes their own path.
For me, coming to the national team is like coming home.