While the World Cup is great every four years, I think people struggle to get themselves excited about qualifiers against the smaller nations. It will take some good performances from the national team to get the feel-good factor back, as far as the England team goes at least.

To be at the top, you have to have a competitive streak in you. If you're not performing, you've got to be angry with yourself.

I thought I would break the scoring record when I got to 40 goals by the age of 27 or 28, but then Fabio Capello took over and he never picked me again.

I have always been confident that I would make it to the top.

I remember running around the park as a kid and pretending, shouting out 'Michael Owen in the cup final. He scores!' To actually fulfil that dream when you're older and score two goals made it just a magical day.

A new club is like having a new girlfriend – you don't have feelings straight away

An emotion that lives with me is a sense of what might have been had injuries not robbed me of my most lethal weapon - speed.