Piqué: "Neymar really hurt the club when he left, I was hurt too"
The Barça centre-back gave an exclusive interview to The Telegraph in which he spoke about Neymar and the Champions League tie against Chelsea...
Gerard Piqué gave an interview toThe Telegraph in which he touched on several, diverse topics, such as the political situation in Cataluya, Neymar's departure to Paris Saint-Germain over the summer and the brand of football which Pep Guardiola's team play.
Talking politics: "It's not easy; I think that people outside of Spain think that things here are worse than what they are. I don’t think we are in a really bad situation. It is a political problem but I think it will be solved by dialogue, by politicians doing their job. At the end of the day there is no violence, no fighting - none of that. It is very calm - it's excatly the same as it was a year ago".
The Catalunya situation was complicated by October's events: "The only problem is that there are a lot of people here in Catalunya 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. When you have so many people in different ways of thinking and it is difficult to arrive at a position where everyone would be happy. But that's okay. If you explain yourself with respect and try to explain why you feel that way there is no problem at all".
Piqué on speaking his mind
Your comments on social networking sites have ruffled a few feathers on more than one occasion... "I have lived with this pressure since I was very young and I'm 30 now, more than ten of those years I spent playing for Barcelona as a professional. I know words sometimes have consequences but I try to choose the correct words every time. Sometimes it's true that the truth hurts and sometimes people don’t want to hear it and they say you are wrong. At the end of the day we are humans. It is right that people like Gary Lineker speak and say what they think. I know him personally and I think he is a great guy".
Neymar joining PSG: "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. As a Barcelona fan it hurts and I understand that maybe some Barcelona fans are disappointed about how he left - but it is very difficult to find a player who stays at the same club for the whole of their career. I know Neymar wanted the Ballon d’Or so I think it is fair he left for Paris where he will be the main man".
Pep Guardiola, sorted at City
Guardiola working his magic with City: "For me, he is one of the best coaches in the world. When I worked with him for four years at Barcelona we won most of the titles playing different football, a new kind of game that right now every team wants to play: having the ball and controlling the possession. Because if you have the ball you control the game. What he is doing at City his year is amazing. He is breaking all the records. I trust him a lot and last year I thought that he would win everything; Now you can see the players know what Pep wants and how he wants them to play. They are playing great football, they are strong favourites to win the Premier League and I hope they win the cup as well".
Read the full Gerard Piqué interview here:
