There was a guy I found incredible in training. A player I thought 'What is he doing? Is he only 18 or 19?' That player was Mario Gotze. He did things in training that made me think 'Wow. If he doesn't make it all the way to the top then I don't know!'

Ballack had a certain level of aggression in his game, and a strong mentality.

I think struggles are part of our profession. And it's always about overcoming these kind of moments.

The Champions League is one of the biggest club stages you can reach and I think for players it is an honour to be part of it. It certainly is for me. You just enjoy being a part of it playing against the best clubs in Europe.

I had four fantastic years with Jurgen. We won a lot of things together, we lived through many different experiences together, we had our lows, too.

I feel privileged to have grown up in Germany so it was a heavy blow for me to be portrayed as somebody who isn't integrated and who doesn't live his life according to German values.

Everyone has his or her own opinion and I always welcome criticism. That's why we have freedom of expression and that's also what I stand for - but I won't stand for insults.

In a World Cup every single game is important; you are not allowed to make mistakes, not allowed to fail. If you want to win, you have to be there every game.

To be honest, I'm not really into politics.

I take care of who I am and what I do, treating people in the nicest way possible and everything comes back in life.

There are people who look up to me, but the young Muslim kids, especially in Germany, they also need those closest to them to show them a good path, give them targets in their life. I grew up with a lot of these kids and they didn't have the support I had from my family or friends. Not just in terms of football, but everything else.

I have had almost only positive experiences in Germany. I want to be very clear about that.

I am still a big fan of Jogi Low, and not just in terms of the sporting side of things. This applies to his character, his leadership qualities and his humanity.

I believe in life's challenges and I always try to challenge myself.

If I don't get out of my comfort zone, I will never change and never improve.

I had four great years with Jurgen and I like him as a person and as a coach.

I wanted to leave Dortmund in Dortmund and not think about spending time with Jurgen when I chose a new club. That was partly a reason for me not to go to Liverpool.

In my opinion, he has very special abilities. He has talent and he always manages to show it on the pitch. He always has the instinct to make the right decision. He uses his speed well against the opponents he plays. He has a strong finish. All in all, no one else has as much quality as Lionel Messi.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the world class player after Messi, but for me he is not on this Galactico level of Messi.

I do not want people to forget me.

That is the most difficult thing: to feel that you are useless, not worth as much as before, not worth as much as the others.

If we are quite defensive and we lose the ball, we just try to get back into our positions and try to defend. That's something you have to do from time to time.

The Champions League is maybe the most prestigious competition in the game and if you don't win it, as much as we are a great team, you feel like there's always something missing.

It's important in sport and life, if you do something with confidence you always do it better. That's the same in football and everything else.

You cannot just win every single game by three, four or five goals and then when you come into the last 16 playing a good team, 1-0 down, expect to turn it around easily. It's not always like that.

If I'm needed, I'm ready to help the team wherever.

We always feel when we're able to score the first goal or an early goal, we feel like we are unstoppable.

When you are not able to score the first goal, maybe we get nervous and don't 100% feel the confidence is there and we have to be patient.

When you are in front and top of the table, it feels great to look at it.

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are the two best teachers in the world.

Klopp's philosophy? Getting the ball back, a quick switching game, combinations and then ice cold in front of goal.

Pep has so much charisma that always makes you give more than 100 per cent, not only in matches, but in training too. His way of understanding the game also suits my style perfectly.

Football has to keep being part of my daily routine!

I am always open-minded for challenges.

I would be absolutely delighted if I were to have a career similar to that of Schweinsteiger, both at club and international level. We all know what he has done for German football. It is an honour to be likened to him.

The Premier League is the best league in the world in my opinion.

It would be the completely wrong thing to go into games with fear.

Football is our life, not politics.

I wish that sometimes there is a little more honesty and that you can discuss things openly. There should not be taboo subjects.

I have no problem with answering questions honestly or even looking outside the box and answering private questions.

It's bad if you disguise yourself, I honestly cannot see it anymore when you're after the game, always asked the same questions and give pre-programmed answers. I do not know if there is a solution for that. I don't know if you can, want or should change it. But sometimes I just wish for a little more.

To be honest I think watching from the sidelines is one of the most difficult things.

I try to do my best in training and to get in shape and be prepared.

Believe me: Everyone at City knows about Timo Werner. Many of my team-mates asked what kind of guy he is. He deserves respect.

In my opinion, Havertz is even better than Ballack in terms of his playing ability.

We do not only have a Turkish side, inherited from our parents and our families, we were born and raised in Gelsenkirchen. It is a city with a high percentage of emigrants.

We are used to the whistles of the opposing fans, but when we are booed by our own fans, it's hard to live with.

In sporting terms, I'm very satisfied with City - there are less attractive jobs in Europe!

I have noticed that, for fans in England, the Premier League stands above the rest.

You can't defend against Thomas Muller, it's extremely difficult for defenders. As an opposing player, you never know what he's going to do next.