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In football, I don't have a lot of friends. The people who I really trust, there are not many... Most of the time, I'm alone.

For me, I'm lucky to have a lot of close friends - through football or through my family.

My thing is, and I've always been this way - to get to know as many people as I possibly can on a personal level, so that way, when you get on the football field, you've got your buddy right beside you, and you're ready to go.

I play knowing that there is somebody watching me out there in the crowd that has never had the opportunity to watch a game before and it might be the only chance they ever to see one, live in person. Michael Jordan once said that in an interview, and I really took it to heart; whenever I step on the floor, I play for that person.

I'm very good friends with my former coaches. We speak on the phone a lot.

A lot of people think being at the top means you have to be the best at a certain game. You don't. It's more about personality.

I sometimes get very protective of the people I play.

People know what they're getting with me. It's part and parcel of football that people want to see new faces, but all I can do is play games, score goals and prove I can do it. My record is there for everyone to see.

I've been told I'm a player, but people still don't always return my calls.

For my part, I confess I seldom listen to the players: one has so much to do, in looking about and finding out one's acquaintance, that, really, one has no time to mind the stage. One merely comes to meet one's friends, and show that one's alive.