As a goalkeeper, I needed good players around me. I needed Nemanja Vidic, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wayne Rooney. It's the same as a CEO.

If you win, everyone asks what's your secret, when most of the time you did exactly the same in the ones you lost.

Running a marathon is unlike anything I have done. You can recall all those bad weights sessions or the work you had to do in pre-season, but marathon running is worse than any of it, probably the hardest thing I have had to do in my entire life.

I've been the captain at Ajax and once for the national team - it's nice and makes you an important player.

Every flaw you have or lapse of concentration can cost you a goal, so you have to be on your toes every minute of the game.

I went to Fulham for the project they explained to me - but it didn't really work out. I might have been playing at a high level for the national team, but I was starting to miss those European nights and challenging for titles.

You hope to bring your 'A Game' to any game, and of course you do in a final. You hope to bring experience, fitness, communication skills, motivational skills.

For Brazil or any other national team in the world, to play Uruguay is a commitment and a very tough match.

A footballer must be prepared to be welcomed when all is well and to receive criticism when things are not working out. Of course, it is not easy nor pleasant to hear negative things about you.

I have to work hard, just like any other player.

It is the entire team that has to work together. Football is a team game. We all have to give our all.

My objective is not to play for money, as I just want to leave good memories. That is the most important thing!

I was born a footballer. Before I could walk, I was chasing balls.

Football puts everything at your fingertips. And I was raised in a way that focused everything on looking after your family. Faith really helped me realise that the temptations that you have on hand will give you joy, enjoyment, whatever, but only for a short while. And after that, it is all gloom.

I am an athlete for Christ. That's why I play for Him, to give Him glory, to thank Him for giving me the ability to play football.

I have never made a secret that I prefer to play centrally, it is where I feel I can get most goals from. At the same time, though, I also understand that you need to make sacrifices for the team.

Some people say I run too much, and by the time I arrive in front of goal, when I have to provide the finish, I am tired. But this is just my way of playing. I need to do this to score goals.

I would move back to Italy, but only to Napoli. I speak with respect for all of the clubs I played for, but all of my family and those who know me already know that this is where I left part of my heart.

At the end of the day, it is football, and we are all important on the pitch. We must play as a team and not listen to what others are saying.

It's always good to get back to your teammates.

I want to help my teammates, even if I'm a striker, because it's important to win back possession. But scoring is something incomparable.

I always have the hunger to score, to be on the pitch and finish the team's moves.

You always hope new players complete the team with their qualities.

There's a lot of politics in football, and sometimes the real values of the sport, those human values, get lost.