“To be recognised by a whole country is incredible. This is massive.”

The French team has given me so much and I want to help it. I told myself I did not have much time left in soccer, and I want to profit from it to the maximum.

Mandela has played a crucial part in history. He’s done some extraordinary things, not only for his country but also for the whole world.

I have always said the French team is the most important thing that has happened to me. I thought deeply about it and I want to play for France again.

Football boots are very technical and have lots of specific requirements.

Ronaldinho is a special player, but Thierry Henry is probably technically the most gifted footballer ever to play the beautiful game.

Everything Iniesta does impresses me. He could even play as goalkeeper. He’s magical.

I have decided to come back for Les Bleus.

In France, everybody realized that God exists, and that he is back in the French international team. God is back, there is little left to say.

Sometimes I don’t know what takes me over during a game. Sometimes I just feel I have moved to a different place and I can make the pass, score the goal or go past my marker at will.

You rarely come across the complete footballer, but Scholes is as close to it as you can get. One of my regrets is that the opportunity to play alongside him never presented itself during my career.

I’m very inspired by him-it was my father who taught us that an immigrant must work twice as hard as anybody else, that he must never give up.

Zidane is unique. The ball flows with him. He is more like a dancer than a football player.

I am proud of where I come from and I will never forget the people I grew up with.

A Mediterranean city is really my culture.

I once cried because I had no shoes to play soccer, but one day, I met a man who had no feet.

It doesn’t matter how many times you win an award, it is always very special.

Gos bless America, my home sweet home.

All of our people all over the country-except the pure-blooded Indians-are immigrants or descendants of immigrants, including even those who came over here on the Mayflower.

I love scoring goals for England and playing for England. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t retire – I love playing for my country.

I’m very friendly or whatever, but I would hardly say that I’m that cookie-cutter. I don’t live in L.A. or New York. I live in Texas, and I go to hole-in-the-wall bars, so there’s no paparazzi there.

I think the only music I didn’t listen to was country and western, and that holds to this day.

I’ve always been proud to represent my country, whether it be World Cups, European Championships or just friendly games, I’ve always been a proud person, I’m very patriotic.

Above all, this country is our own. Nobody has to get up in the morning and worry what his neighbors think of him. Being a Jew is no problem here.

Abortion has become a very politicised issue that I think countries have to work out themselves. In a lot of countries, people can’t even yet agree on what their laws should be.