In my youth-team days, I was always a left-winger who would stay close to the byline and put crosses in the box, so I could never cut inside and shoot. It was only when I joined Real Madrid and started playing in a more central position, and then on the right wing, that I suddenly realised I had a really dangerous weapon.

You need to be very critical of yourself. There are a few very good managers who can make players better individually. Most managers think about the team process - and so you have to improve things on your own.

I guess my earliest football memories are of playing in the street and also the little pitches at school. I joined the local football team in my village when I was small, but we would play only once or twice a week. I honed my skills just by playing for fun with friends after school.

Bayern had no international success in the years before I joined, and my goal was actually to play at the best possible level, which would have meant winning the Champions League.

The atmosphere of football in England is intense. There's so much passion.

When I was fifteen, I dreamed of living in the big city, as many a young person does if he is artistic and sensitive. By 'artistic and sensitive' I mean short, skinny, unkissed, bad at sports, and carrying a C average in high school.

I'm really into beaches, but I also enjoy a bit of culture. An ideal holiday would have a nice balance of the two, but I'm definitely not into adrenalin sports, nor would I enjoy spending a month solid on a beach.

It's not my place to tell you whom to vote for, to take any political stand, to tell you what religion to believe in. I'm an athlete. I can influence certain things, but when I see other athletes and celebrities telling you whom to vote for, I actually get a bit offended.