Figo was my hero. Then he joined Madrid. Barca fans hated him for that. It was impossible for him to be a hero any more, but now that I'm a professional, I see things differently.

The work is intense. You have to calculate a great deal very quickly which requires football intelligence and real concentration. Part of my role is to shuttle between the defense and the attacking lines to make sure that the ball circulates well and quickly.

A result doesn't determine the planning on the sporting side.

I've always said that I won't be a Barcelona player for 20 years with a secondary role. The moment that I feel my ambition is fading or that I am not able to deliver physically, I will step aside and leave feeling privileged and content of what I gave to the club.

The kind of boy's club I'm used to? It is definitely not a jock-y, frat-y kind of thing. They say, 'I'm sensitive and nerdy,' but actually, it's like, 'You're a huge child and you're terrified of women, but you don't like sports, so you think that makes you less of a misogynist.'

Global sports tournaments have a range of benefits that go far beyond the games themselves. They can transform the image of a country or a region. They bring people together and reveal new possibilities to a nation's youth.

I enjoyed playing, and I've got a full and happy life now, so it's not like I'm looking back longingly at my time in football.

Collecting shoes is my biggest hobby. I've got a couple hundred pairs of Nikes and Jordans. I got a lot of hats, too. I like to play basketball, but nothing competition wise.