"I don't know whether it's the athlete in me or the passion I have for the game: I always think that I can step back on the field and play."

"My parents were always very strict, and they gave me the right beliefs in how to treat people. It was very strict and all about morals - I try to pass that on to my own children."

"I've got friends "in "the different teams I've played for, but family is the most important thing to me. That will always be the case."

"Football's the biggest game in the world. America's the greatest sporting nation there is. To play some part in putting those two things together: why wouldn't I be excited about that?"

"Some men over-tweeze their eyebrows, and it's just too perfect. Men are meant to have kind of a bushy brow. Too much aftershave is also off-putting; it's one of my pet hates."

"I love a nice tailored suit, but I also like to dress down. It all depends on what mood I'm in."

"Rosewood has always been one of my favourite scents, as has the pink grapefruit and pepper we've also put in Homme."

"Over the years, when I've seen players retire, when you ask them about it, they always say you'll know when you're ready, and I think I know when I'm ready. I think I'm ready."

"When I was a kid, I thought my dad was a little bit harsh with me at times. Sometimes I needed an arm around me instead of my dad telling me what I did wrong, but it obviously worked."

"I remember how inspiring it was to meet players like Bobby Charlton or Bryan Robson when I was a kid. I still remember Clive Allen showing up when I received a trophy for my Sunday league team."

"I feel this pang of regret whenever I watch sport; this sense that I will never play a big match again."

"I can't get through some movies without shedding a tear; I can't lie."

"I'll never forget where I'm from, never forget my roots. It doesn't matter where I live. I'm English, simple as that."

"I think the most important goal I scored in Spain was the first one because people were wary about me coming over to Spain as a player - they thought I was just there to sell shirts."

"The spotlight will always be on me, but it's something I'm learning to live with as the years go by."

"I have always found it an honor that people have wanted to buy my shirt and an honor that fans turn up to watch the team I am playing in. I have always found that a huge honor."

"Throughout my career I have been pretty successful, I've played for some pretty big teams, represented my country quite a few times, and played for managers without sentiment."

"Kids can have great passion and great ability but if you have the facilities for your particular sport that can give you the inspiration to become a sportsman."

"I wasn't as fit as I would of liked to have been, going to the World Cup, but I'm not sure what difference that made."

"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 have got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line, or everything has to be in pairs."

"We've been asked to do 'Playboy' together, me and Victoria, as a pair. I don't think I'll ever go naked, but I'll never say never."

"My private life is perfect. If your private life and your life outside football is good, then it is good on the field for you."

"I don't think I'm really in a situation to complain, because I consider myself to be privileged to be doing what I do."

"I've felt a little tired, but I'm only 24. I love playing football. That's my job and that's what I love doing."

"We stay as a team. I might be England captain, but that doesn't mean I get treated differently."

"I love little kids looking up to me, young players looking up to me, respecting me."

"I like nice clothes, whether they're dodgy or not."

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing."

"I am happier now than I have ever been."

"Nothing amazes me anymore."

"Being at a club that supported me meant a lot."

"I still look at myself and want to improve."

"Tom Cruise, he's a lot more famous than me."

"Alex Ferguson is the best manager I've ever had at this level. Well, he's the only manager I've actually had at this level. But he's the best manager I've ever had."

"My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7."

"I've never seen myself as a celebrity, but I see it in a positive way, the fact that people are still interested in most parts of my life.""At the end of the day, I'm a footballer who has played at some of the biggest football clubs in the world and played with some of the best players in the world."

"At the end of the day, I'm a footballer who has played at some of the biggest football clubs in the world and played with some of the best players in the world."

"I always wanted kids I could take to work, and for them to experience the things I experience. So, having three boys as a footballer was a dream."

"I'm used to being around kids. Even when I was growing up in London, I had an older sister, I had a younger sister that I used to look after from time to time."

"Two of my boys are Manchester United fans; one is an Arsenal fan. Whenever there is a game I can take the boys to, I love taking them."

"I don't regret the decision to retire. My body was losing its edge. I was taking longer to recover from injuries. You have to get out at some point."

"I always wanted to be a hairdresser."

"Everyone's been so quick to say that I'm really thick or I haven't got a brain. People will think whatever they want to think."

"There's room for boys' and girls' football in the world-that's what I believe."

"People just assume, over the years, that soccer players are not too intelligent. As with most assumptions, they're wrong."

"On the fragrance side, I think it's important that it's not overpowering, a fragrance on a man or a woman. I think it's important to see the person before you smell them. Less is more."

"You start realising as you get older that there are some kids who don't know who you are."

"People react to criticism in different ways, and my way is definitely to come out fighting."

"Always have something to look forward to."