I enjoy singing soulful melodies because they add that extra zing to your performance.

I am a die hard fan of Lucknow food, so whenever I am in city I make sure to have the famous kebabs.

I have never followed anyone's style of singing.

I stand in support of royalty for singers, but sometimes things happen all of a sudden and you have to sign a contract.

I don't think I am hero material.

Ustad Ghulam Ali has been a huge influence and has guided me constantly. In fact, it was he who suggested I change my stage name to Javed Ali from Javed Hussain.

I know that composers know my voice type and what songs will suit me. I have been able to mould my voice according to the nature of the song given to me, be it rock, pop or jazz.

Though I come from Delhi, many other artistes like me attained success in Maharashtra.

Many people say that theatre has no money, but it has been the stepping stone for the best film actors of our times like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Paresh Rawal, etc.

I am a student of Ghulam Ali, who was like my guru. I changed my name in his honour.

When you hear a romantic song, the feeling is incomparable.

In the beginning, many composers didn't have confidence in me. It's not their fault. It only comes after you've delivered your first hit.

Dance numbers continue to be popular and I believe soulful and romantic tracks, too, will never go out of trend.

When you have fun doing something, you should immerse yourself in it completely.

I have got a lot of appreciation from people and they really like my voice in Sufi songs, so I will continue with that, but I'm also experimenting with other types of songs.

I have a taste for ghazals and I like them.

Whenever I sing a song, I just want it to reach out to the audience.

I don't feel that I have achieved anything, I just want people to love my songs.

When I came to Mumbai, I realised an individual should be versatile, and in playback singing you have different genres where you can explore yourself.

People are surprised when they realise that I have sung 'Tinku Jiya' as they felt it was not my genre. As a musician, till the time I don't try something, I don't refuse it. I like challenging jobs.

Inter have given me so much and I am very proud.

It's an honour for me to wear the Inter shirt. To have been involved in so many important moments that all of us and our fans will keep in our hearts and minds forever, I feel privileged.

There's no point in dwelling on the controversies created by others.

The guys who play in midfield and up front are the ones who decide games.

I always see Argentina with great players.

I never settle.

I always seek to improve, but I also give a lot of importance to food and sleep too.

Inter is my life.

I never imagined that I would be at a club like Inter, with so much history and success and also as the captain. I can't see myself as a coach, but maybe as a director to give back to the club.

Maldini was a key figure in world football. I have always had great admiration for him as a player and as a human being. I faced him in many derbies - he was tough but always very loyal.

When I was young, as a fan of Independiente, my idol was Enrique Bochini. He was a playmaker and a total legend at the club. He never played for another club in his career. Maradona was a fan of Bochini too. So when I think that I have only played for Inter in Italy, I feel a little like Bochini. Only with far fewer assists!

Destro and Silvestre are two players worthy of wearing the Inter colours.

My relationship with Moratti goes beyond the normal ties between a president and a captain. I was an unknown and he believed in me. It's something that I will never forget. Indeed, I will always thank him for that.

I had chances to leave Inter, but this is my home. I stayed here even in times of difficulty and I was always sure that the winds of change would come through.

I do not like to discuss a game with the other players right after the final whistle.

I took after my father who was a bricklayer and used to build everything step by step, brick by brick.

I am a big fan of Independiente and I played in their youth systems before being released for being too small, so I went to work with my father as a builder. This helped me understand a lot of things about life; it made me mentally very strong and it also pushed me to go and play for another team.

I am a precise person in everything I do.

I want to be useful for the team, depending on whatever position the coach chooses for me. That's the spirit I've always had.

I am enjoying everything football has given me, and I want to enjoy to the maximum every chance I am allowed.

A lot of things, experiences I had, helped me to grow up and mature, both in terms of my football career and my private life too.

I've always believed that our public actions need to take account of our social responsibility.

The opponent I have most admired during my career is Paolo Maldini.

My mother was a cleaner and my father a builder. I watched both of them make big sacrifices for my brother and I to study. This is where I get my work ethic from. This is also the source of my generosity and willingness to help.

To arrive in a city like Milan as a young man was a huge challenge.

Inter is my second home and put their trust in me when I was an unknown.

Sportive fortunes get built day after day, week after week through a healthy lifestyle.

My story is like many other stories. I started very young. As the years went by, I only cared about playing football. I was never obsessed with money or being a professional though.

I was close to joining Barcelona and Real Madrid, but I am happy to have remained at Inter because I knew that sooner or later our moment to shine would arrive, and it did.

For some reason I have always felt at home here at Inter and this is why I have never thought of leaving.