I love the Copa America. It showcases all the classic rivalries of South America, all those neighbours, up against each other.

If nerves undo you, then you're unlikely to make it as a top footballer.

When Atletico wanted to sell me, I was told that I earned too much money and they wanted me off the wage bill. I liked that honesty.

It's not easy for a coach to deal with a player who is in slow decline.

Football doesn't do sentiment well; it's a cruel profession.

It's hard to know when to call it a day as a footballer.

I went to Japan to experience a new culture, and I would recommend that any footballer does that. But the main reason I went was to play football.

Japan is a country that works well. The trains, buses, and planes stick to their timetables. When you try to change the schedule of anything, it can confuse.

The Japanese people and their country left a huge impression on my wife and I, and we found it difficult to say goodbye before moving back to South America.

As a footballer, I have always found it better not to be too emotional. Better to be cool, consistent, clinical. Celebrate goals, yes, but keep your feelings for those you trust most.

As a player, if a club is desperate to sign you, then you can benefit from that. Desperate clubs are prepared to pay more money; they are prepared to act decisively and play you.

Big clubs with one rich owner have been one of the main changes in football since I started playing.

I had wanted to play for Penarol since I was a boy. When I was young, I would go to their training ground, but at 18, I left Uruguay for Argentina, and my professional career started.

I've played as a lone striker and enjoyed it, especially if you have good supporting players around you. But a full season by myself? That would be hard.

Ronaldo can score every type of goal. He can use both feet, his head, take free kicks, finish from close range or outside the box. He has everything.

I am not saying that I am at the same level as Messi or Ronaldo. They are the best two players in the world, but I am very proud that I managed to finish above them in the goalscoring charts, especially as I was playing for Atletico Madrid, not Barcelona or Real Madrid.

When I see some of the pitches which my father played on, I think that it must have been a different game.

Football has changed, and so has the relationship between the players on the pitch. Where once some players would try everything to distract opponents, now it's harder. There are TV cameras everywhere, which have much higher quality images than before. There are lip readers in studios working out what you are saying to each other.

Two English defenders were among the finest I played against: John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.

Nobody comes back from a serious injury and is the same after a month or even three months. You should play in the reserves; you get your muscle back and regain your match rhythm. Psychologically, you need to build your confidence back up and you hope there are no complications. Even in a settled side, it's hard.

As a footballer, it can be enjoyable to do a proper interview where you trust the journalist to reproduce your thoughts.

At Inter Milan, I agreed to play on the wing and didn't like it.

I'm happy to play as a centre forward or a second striker, like in the national team with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

My compatriot Diego Godin is one of the best defenders in the world, good enough to play for any team in any league.