Andrea Pirlo

To be honest, I don't see anyone out there who plays the way I do.

It's the best thing that can happen to a player. Being able to play at the World Cup is already the best, but then to raise the trophy to the sky is a dream.

I've learned lots, obviously - the first thing being never to forget to be grateful. The second is not to bear grudges, because in football, luck does not exist.

I used to watch Juninho's free-kicks without being able to figure out how he hit them. I tried and tried until, eventually, I came up with my own way to strike them.

Being part of a team that belongs to everyone makes me feel good and at peace with myself.

Just being able to go out to dinner at the trendiest restaurants - in Italy, I can't do that.

I've never needed to play for money. I play because I love football.

One part of my job I'll never learn to love is the pre-match warm-up. I hate it with every fibre of my being. It actually disgusts me.

I love the food scene in New York.

My passion is always the same. In fact, with a new adventure, the passion always grows.

I've always been able to play for the love of the sport.

In football, like in life, there are always millimetres which can change things - the course of a goal or of a life.