“ I went to live in Barcelona in 1975, when I was twenty. Even before I went there, I knew more about the Spanish Civil War than I did about the Irish Civil War. I liked Barcelona, and then I grew to like a place in the Catalan Pyrenees called the Pillars, especially an area between the village of Flavors and the high mountains around it. Colm Toibin Novelist
“ Having grown up watching Barcelona, Elen gets a bit annoyed watching me if I don't do flicks and tricks like Ronaldinho. I have to explain you can't do that all the time in a game! Frank Lampard Soccer Player
“ The best managers out there at the moment are Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho but they are at other clubs - Real Madrid and Barcelona. Gary Neville Soccer Player
“ You want to play in the best stadiums against the best players - your Real Madrid's and Barcelona's - you want to play those teams. Jermain Defoe Soccer Player
“ And call me a pig, but isn't it brilliantly refreshing how early the Dutch eat dinner? When they're still laying out the cutlery in achingly hip Barcelona, they're hanging the Closed sign on the restaurant doors of old Amsterdam. Julie Burchill Writer