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.

Complaining and arguing will not help. We are fully concentrating on the game against the Czechs.

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.

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 a feeling we are going to be world champions, I can't really explain why. Brazil are probably the best team in the world in terms of individual players. But the team with the most gifted players do not always win.

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.