I had a little teddy bear called Gordon the gopher. I took him to bed with me, he'd come to school with me cos he was my favourite.

I still say if the ball is there to be won I will go for it, whether with my head or whatever, and if it means us scoring or stopping a goal, I won't think twice.

I'm really enjoying learning new ideas because eventually I want to become a manager myself so I'm gathering all this information from managers now and previously.

I have played against (Michel) Platini, (Diego) Maradona, (Johan) Cruyff and played with George Best — a lot of big names, but none of them has been able to do what Messi does. Two years ago I said that the best player I played against was Maradona and the best player I have played with was Bestie. But I can now say I have never seen a player as good as Messi. He’s in a league of his own.

Frank Lampard is the best ever at Chelsea and one of the best I've ever played with and against in world football today, and I think what set him apart was his dedication and hard work.

I don't envisage I will be captain again, but for two England managers, Steve McClaren and Fabio Capello, I was their first choice and I'm proud of that.

When I was little, I didn't like being left on my own in the dark.