In my experience, growing up in Brooklyn and all that, the real tough guys didn't act tough. They didn't talk tough. They were tough, you know? I think about these politicians who try to pose as tough guys - it makes me laugh.

I was born in 1935. But my mother and father - who were immigrants from Ireland - and everybody that I knew growing up in Brooklyn came out of the Depression, and they were remarkable people.

Too many people take New York for granted. The primary reason is that history is not taught. That's outrageous in a city where the past is still visible.

I don't think enough journalists read enough - literature, history. You've got to keep reading all through your career.

I'm always bragging, always laughing with my Spain team-mates at Barcelona, saying I'll take 30 per cent possession and two goals - a win is a win. It's football.

It's humbling how my peers view me as not only one of the best Olympic power and weightlifters, but as an athlete.

It's football. Guys get hurt all the time.

You never approach any prof or semi-professional sport as a hit and giggle.