If you want to be a professional footballer, you have to respect your profession. You have to respect the people that are making you the star you are. You have to protect the passion every day.

I want to keep my own guard, I want to keep my secrets, I want to keep my private life for me.

I had lots of posters on my bedroom wall of players like Zico, many Brazilian and Italian players, not many players in particular but I loved football so much and I especially loved skilful players.

Tottenham tried to sign me but I held off and came to Arsenal because Arsene Wenger was here.

When you see what is happening with the social network, with Facebook, Twitter and co it is becoming obvious that the reputation of ourselves is becoming more and more important everyday. Image is becoming too much for me, and we are living in a virtual world and sometimes it is very easy to make mistakes. It is more difficult to take responsibility for our mistakes.

France is hypocritical and cowardly. I sometimes think that, having been invaded by the Germans, we'd be run better today.

People want to be connected to be everyone at anytime. They want to talk about their passions, they want to talk about their private life, they want to have the right to speak.