You have to live your life day by day, enjoy what you're doing right now.
— Gerard Pique
Football is a very passionate world.
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.
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.
I studied economics with some teachers from ESADE. It's a really good school here in Spain. They helped me to understand a little about numbers, stats, economics, etc.
It's a responsibility when you have won as much as I have done, as much as the teams I have played for have done: then the fans are waiting for more.
It's essential to have equilibrium in your life.
I don't want to be in the public eye so much that you reach the point where everyone has an opinion about you.
It changes everything, absolutely everything. The love you feel for your child transforms everything. Now you have someone helpless and tiny that depends on you and only you. You look at him and know that your world is focused on him, on that part of you.
When you're playing for a great team like Madrid, with a lot of pressure because you have to win every game, it's a difficult life.
I am proud to have been part of a Sir Alex Ferguson team.
I consider that, in a democracy, everyone has the right to decide. If people don't have the right to express what they feel, we would be going back to a bygone era.
I love '80s music, but in the dressing room, it tends to be more lively!
I moved to Manchester United when I was a 17-year-old kid. Nemanja Vidic was five years older than me and Rio Ferdinand nearly nine years, and at the time, they were the best central defenders in the world. They never had a bad game.
It is very difficult to find a player who stays at the same club for the whole of their career.
I would like to change the refereeing system. The pressure that is put on an official in a match is too large.
The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona is very big.
I'm very proud of all the career I've had with the national team.
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.
Politics is always a difficult thing to talk about because, like football, the views are radical. You think this way; that guy thinks the opposite way. It is, like, nearly a fight, and feelings are very strong.
I am trying to live as natural as I can with my son.
I like to stay busy. I have a lot of things on my mind.
I remember, when I arrived in England, a lot of people said that my style of play was not for England.
In England, there are big games but nothing like the Clasico. Manchester United versus Liverpool is a really great match, probably the best over there. But Barcelona-Madrid is different to any other game in the world.
I would prefer to keep my distance a bit from the cameras. I want to keep a private life.
I've done most of my career with Barca, with the exception of the period I played for Manchester United.
I always think that the best players can fit in any team, no matter the style of the team.
With Messi, we're talking about the best player in the world. It doesn't matter if he's a little bit injured: he can still change everything.
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.
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.
Cristiano Ronaldo has not changed since we were both at Manchester United.
You try to do the best for your club, and you also create relationships and friendships - with Neymar, my relationship is really strong.
In order to eliminate injustices and to ensure there would be less controversy, I would introduce technology that would make refereeing better.
I am privileged and very happy to be a professional sportsperson, but should that make people so angry?
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.
I know words sometimes have consequences, but I try to choose the correct words every time.
I think the Catalonian people really identify with Barcelona - the fans are really proud of the team and the club.
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.
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.
If you stop now and start to realise what you have achieved, then you start to relax, and you start to lose. I don't think about everything I have achieved. I will do it when I retire because then I will have a lot of days to remember.
My style suits Barcelona's style of play.
Shakira has a very great career, knows a lot, and has taught me a lot. She came into my life to transform it, and that makes me very happy.
Real Madrid are such an immense team - a big, big club.
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.
Evolution is all about looking forward.
When one is young, one can become distracted and overconfident.
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 have not betrayed Barca, and I'm surprised anyone would doubt my commitment to Barcelona, because I've been a fan since birth.
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.
