I have a fantastic wife, and not only in terms of external beauty. Her priority and mine is our children. That is our choice.

As a professional football player, I have known perfectly well from the day I started playing that every day I have to fight for my place.

I'm star-struck when I see Paul Scholes because you never see him. On the pitch you can't catch him. Off the pitch he disappears.

To play for Barcelona, means to have an opportunity for a brilliant career. But to reach the top of it, you have to play for Real Madrid.

I really did not think much about the size of the transfer fee when I left Barcelona because it was all down to market forces, not me.

I think he [Raul] is the greatest player to have ever played the game. He walks on the turf and astounds. It is utterly amazing.

When I left Barcelona, staying in Spain was an important factor in my decision to join Madrid. I did not have to change country or learn a new language, adopt a different sort of lifestyle, and so on.