I know some players like being the centre of attention and I admit that when I first became a player I liked fame, too. But that feeling lasted only for three months. Then I realised what it was really like to be the centre of attention all the time. It isn't all good.

Sacrifice counts for a lot in sport. From a young age, I couldn't do the normal things that the boys of my age get to do. Maybe you have a nice car or a nice house, but at times you just want to be a normal guy and you can't.

Yes, I think I am a genius, but not a rebel.

Sometimes in football you deserve to win but lose. Other times you deserve to lose or draw but you win. That is the game, and it's why I've always said you should never try to predict anything in football, especially in Europe.

There are few people with such talent, so there are few able to judge what I am doing.

When I wasn't famous, I had a lot of friends, almost all of them Italian. The racism only started when I started to play football.

To play in atmospheres that are intense is when I play my best football.