My heroes were always soccer players.

Even from when Lionel Messi was very young I could see that he was a great player. A lot of people spoke about him, and then when I saw him myself for the first time I could see the amazing quality that he had. I didn't teach him anything - he had enough quality himself.

I am ugly but what I do have is charm.

Football is about joy. It's about dribbling. I favour every idea that makes the game beautiful. Every good idea has to last.

Paolo Maldini and John Terry are two of the toughest men I have met on the field.

When I got to the senior national team, there was another Ronaldo, so they started calling me Ronaldinho because I was younger.

It is not just about the money, it is about what you achieve on the pitch.