I wrote every day between the ages of 12 and 20 when I stopped because I went to Barcelona, where life was too exciting to write.
But if there was no Barcelona why would you get out of bed in the morning?
Barcelona is my home and I hope that I stay here for many years.
I first went to Barcelona in 1975 after university, and I stayed for three years. I learnt Catalan because that's what everyone speaks in the mountains. They speak English to foreigners, but what people say to each other is much more important than what they say to you.
When I come to a new city is I combine: I say, well, it's like Barcelona and Edinburgh, though I can't imagine what that would be. But Toronto, the last few times I've been here, what always comes up is Chicago and West Berlin. It's a big, sprawling city beside a lake, of a certain age and a certain architectural complexity. But the high-end retail core looks more like West Germany than the Magnificent Mile. Yonge Street is like K-Damm. There's an excess of surface marble and bronze: it's Germanic and as pretentious as pretentious can be.
I've never stopped being Argentine, and I've never wanted to. I feel very proud of being Argentine, even though I left there. I've been clear about this since I was very young, and I never wanted to change. Barcelona is my home because both the club and the people here have given me everything, but I won't stop being Argentine.
FC Barcelona is the national team of Catalonia
Messi is not really from Barca's ranks. What they did was sign the most talented kid in the whole of Argentina! Messi was already Messi when he arrived at Barcelona - they simply polished him. Cristiano Ronaldo is already too old to learn and change the way he is. When he was 13, someone should have sent him home when he didn't behave properly.
If one day I have to leave Barcelona, probably the first thing I will look into is Arsenal
In Barcelona, things seem so different. For example, I know that it's traditionally the least Spanish city, but you'd never know they had a monarchy, coming here as a tourist - as opposed to the UK, where the Queen is probably the best-known animal, vegetable andor mineral going when it comes to overseas visitors.
Great teams always have a Plan B. Look at Barcelona. Their Plan B is to stick to Plan A
To me, doing the Olympics in 1992 in Barcelona for NBC, just seeing the Dream Team take the floor, was a thrill for me. I dont think there was another team in any sport with that high level of athletes playing together.
Carles Puyol is a Barcelona legend. He could have been playing every two weeks but he has shown dignity until the end.
Only unfulfilled love can be romantic
Here in Barcelona, it's the architects who built the buildings that made the city iconic who are the objects of admiration - not a bunch of half-witted monarchs.
Whoever Barcelona are playing, you're just interested to watch because Messi's playing.
The Doctor: Rose. . . before I go, I just want to tell you: you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? [Pause] So was I! [The TARDIS lights up with energy as the Doctor regenerates into his tenth incarnation. ] The Tenth Doctor: Hello! Okay— [The Doctor pauses and swallows uncomfortably] New teeth. That's weird. So where was I? Oh, that's right. Barcelona! [Grins]
My friends back in Barcelona called me by that name (Picasso). It was stranger, more resonant, than "Ruiz. " And those are probably the reasons I adopted it. Do you know what appealed to me about that name? Well, it was undoubtedly the double s, which is fairly unusual in Spain.
I have a son in Barcelona whom I am madly in love with.
Did you used to play for Barcelona? Because that's not Barcelona football.
