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

It took me a long time to realize that football isn't martyrdom, but a game that's enjoyable, and one in which getting better at it is supposed to be fun. Perhaps it would have been better if I had understood this as a young man.

After a decade in a club it's quite normal and necessary that you seek and take a new challenge.

A Germany team should not be afraid going into a tournament. History shows that we can raise the level of our game when it matters.

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.

The goalkeeper plays in a psychological position, and he's dealing with mental things. I wanted to describe the things I've done wrong and, most of all, what I've done right, so that other people, including those in other professions, could learn from my experiences.

It looked pretty wild, but I was actually in control of myself. I've never really injured anyone throughout my career.