“Real Madrid is the most important thing that happened to me, both as a footballer and as a person.”

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.

We must not let ourselves get driven off course, no matter what happens we must stick to our natural game.

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

Zidane is probably the best player there has been in the past 20 years. France have recovered the best Zidane and they have progressively grown throughout this tournament.

There was huge pressure, especially before the big games. Not many people believed in us, but we believed in ourselves. We wanted to do something good and we did.

Messi makes the difference most of the time. In particular, he is always going forwards. He never passes the ball backwards or sideways. He has only one idea, to run towards the goal. So as a football fan, just enjoy the show.

It’s only natural to want to select your best players and there is no doubt for me that Paul Scholes is still in a class of his own. He’s almost untouchable in what he does. I never tire of watching him play.

I don’t know if we are the best team in the world. I am lucky to be playing alongside some of the best players around. It’s a dream.

The England team must always be respected. They always fight to the end.

I have a need to play intensely every day, to fight every match hard.

I love Madrid. I am happy to be here. I have been here three years and hope to be here longer. But I am proud of where I come from and never forget the people I grew up with.

It is very seldom that a person loves anyone they cannot in some way envy.

It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn’t hurt you.

When all the thoughts are concerning one thing and the person loses interest in other things, the melancholy begins.

Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God.

You don’t remove the evil in a person by killing the person.

Each person’s work is always a portrait of himself.

So valuable to heaven is the dignity of the human soul that every member of the human race has a guardian angel from the moment the person begins to be.

Never be the brightest person in the room.