I have always seen myself as an athlete. Of course, I made the mistake of unintentionally opening the door to my private life by just a crack. I wouldn't do the same thing again. It has to be accepted that my private life is private, and if that isn't the case, I have to do something about it.

When you look at our programme for the next few weeks, you do not fancy a trip to the Oktoberfest.

I was so obsessed with football that you could say I was taking the goal home with me at night. And then one day the system fell apart.

The realization that you're not always standing down there on the field merely to win, to be successful, was very liberating. One can be successful by helping the team, the other players. All of a sudden I felt the kind of empathy for people that I hadn't felt before.

I want to successfully make the transition from a life in professional sports to another life, without running into major upheavals.

After the 2006 World Cup, I knew that you don't always need success, success, success on the pitch.

It's part of my game to occasionally send a message, one that may be unpopular to the outside world, but can be important for the team.