I'm very proud because, all my life, I worked very hard to be a football player.

For me, my passion is just to play the game, it doesn't matter if no one comes to the stadium to watch.

Going to Dubai represents a different way of life.

Size has never been a problem for me.

You always have to dream big and think big.

Maradona, I think, is not a football player but he's something different. He was unbelievable.

If you want to improve the football, of course you need to put attention on the academy, on the school, the facility.

I have no regrets. I won with the most prestigious clubs in the world - Real Madrid and Juventus - and also with the national team. I won the Ballon d'Or and Fifa World Player at 33 years old.

A coach needs time to get to know the players, the environment, the fans and the culture of the club. You can't solve everything in one or two months.

Football is everything for me in my life.

When the national team plays, everyone feels a part of it. Everyone comes together. And when Italians come together, we tend to do well.

As a defender, you can be many shapes and sizes. You can be short and fast. Or you can be tall and jump high. It doesn't matter. The only necessity is that you are confident when you take the pitch - because every week there is a new challenge.

I'm definitely not a perfect coach and it's impossible to make everyone satisfied.

When someone becomes a part of the Azzurri squad that has won a World Cup, they are like family, and they never abandon anyone.

Of course I wish to achieve the same results as Marcello Lippi did in his career.

Sure, it is true that none of us is Superman. But when we stand together, we can achieve anything.

Cassano? His talent has never been in question, but his character has. As Italian captain and a big admirer I can only wish him to control his nerves better.

The most imortant thing is to win.

I played Zidane throughout my career, and for many players you reach a point where you learn lessons on how to handle them. But from the first match I played against him to the last, Zidane would find different ways to beat me.

Zidane was the most unpleasant among my colleagues. I have never liked him on the pitch and we have always clashed. Albeit a champion for his class, I have never managed to see his fair play.

I would love to become the national team coach. I am aware that it is a tough job, but I spent 15 years with Italy. In my opinion, I have the right experience for this role and I know the environment very well too.

I can still remember watching Italy win the 1982 World Cup. I was just an eight-year-old kid in Naples, my hometown, watching the games with a bunch of people in the houses of relatives and friends. I can recall that when Italy scored, we would shout and hug, even though we did not all know each other.

I think to reach a Champions League final isn't easy, whether it's in Europe or Asia.

You know I was a ball boy at the Italy v. Argentina semi-final in Naples in 1990 and playing in a World Cup final is something every child dreams about.

Big or short, for me what was important was to win the game with my team.

I like the Klopp mentality but at the same time, I like the Pep culture about football because always we need intensity with and without the ball.

Juve have allowed me to show my worth, it has provided me with a challenge that has motivated me.

My parents every day said, 'Ah, it's better you go to school, it's very important for your future.' But inside myself, I said: 'I think the good way is follow the football.'

When you win the World Cup, you start to become a legend - for the people around the world, you are different.

Juventus in Italy are like Real Madrid in Spain, when you enter the team it feels different.

Of course, we all know Italy is an amazing country. We have stunning coastlines and a scenic countryside. We have a climate that allows us to spend a lot of time outdoors. We have fashion, we have food. But life in Italy is so good that sometimes we tend to rest on our laurels.

Someone who signs a contract must respect it.

I have thought about moving to Dubai for a while. It's a city that I love.

If you have Messi or Ronaldo you start the game 1-0 up.

Real Madrid? I don't have any nostalgia or bitterness.

I have always been a Napoli fan, but the choice to move to Dubai is the right one.

In my career, Diego Maradona had the biggest influence on me.

I watch every game in the Premier League and I like the ambience and culture of football in England.

I didn't start out wanting to be a defender. Who would want to be in the back-line after having watched striker Paolo Rossi score six goals in the 1982 World Cup?

When I first arrived at Napoli, I was the ball boy, which meant that I got to watch as the legends trained. Then, once I joined the youth team as a young teenager, I was a midfielder just like Tardelli.

If the opportunity came to manage Al Ahli then why not? I would also like to one day coach one of the globe's great teams such as Italy, Real Madrid or Juventus.

Messi is top but Maradona is another world.

I consider Zidane to be an amazing player who has written football history.

I've always been strong physically and I think for a player what happens off the field is even more important.

I don't drink or smoke.

I respect Messi a lot.

I never saw Pele, but I watched Maradona, for seven years I saw every game. He's not one of the best, he's the best.

A compact defense has always been the basis of Italy's team.

An experience abroad really enriches you.

I'm Italian and the privilege of working in my home country would fill me with pride. However, the opportunity to work in a variety of countries, learning new cultures and footballing mentalities, is also very valuable.