Santos Laguna midfielder Marc Crosas says Camp Nou will always be the "reference point" of Catalan nationalism, as the former Barcelona youngster looks ahead to the Clasico with Real Madrid on Sunday.
Mass demonstrations were initiated in the streets of the autonomous entity during August, with up to as many as 1.5 million people reportedly marching in support of the region's fight for independence from Spain.
A supporter of the movement, Crosas, a product of ;La Masia and now plying his trade in Mexico, revealed his preference at being labelled Catalan and claimed the sporting venue has born into a manifestation of the ideology.
"This is not something new. Camp Nou has always been the reference point of Catalanism and if a fan does not want to post the ballot paper because they do not feel Catalan, then they must not do it," Crosas told ;Marca.
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"They said I had to play in the reserves because I hadn't signed a new contract. It was a hard period for me and it wasn't even the manager's choice."
The striker, who joined Liverpool from Roma in the summer, also expressed his hopes of playing in his desired role of centre forward instead of being utilised on the flanks as he has mainly done so far.
"I've always played in the middle. I find things come more naturally to me there," Borini continued.
"If the ball drops in the box, I can sense how it will bounce, what a defender will do. I can read it early, it is a kind of instinct. When you play wide, you end up far away from the goal."
Borini also highlighted the main difference between the English game and his experience in Serie A.
"Physically, it is harder in England," he observed. "In Italy, we'd stand for an hour in training doing tactical work. You can't do that here — the weather is too cold!"