I'm privileged to be able to train with sometime who is an amazing person, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mourinho and Zidane are very different, one could say they are opposites. But it's not like one is bad and the other is good.

Mourinho has a lot of experience as a coach, with great clubs and players.

Everyone knows what my qualities are and what I can do for the team.

I'm always available to help Madrid.

In a final there is no favorite. It's 50/50.

Iker is a player who is part of Madrid. He's an institution, both in this club and in Spain.

There's no need to undervalue anybody and even less Iker, who is a symbol here in Madrid. We have to respect everything he's done.

I look after myself a lot to be at the top of my game for as long as possible.

Benitez is a very good professional.

Every minute I spend near Ancelotti I am breathing in football. He likes to really be immersed in football. As a former player and as a coach who knows our needs, it is a privilege to work with him and share time with him because he teaches us a lot.

I think I get a raw deal from referees. But as a professional footballer I have to accept it, and that's what I do.

I am a player who works hard, is fast and strong.

I don't consider myself the third centre-back. I have to give my all and then it is the coach who will decide.

I have been 10 years at Madrid, which is no easy thing.

I don't like to lose a 50/50, in the same way a striker doesn't like missing chances.

I am very clear, the people close to me know how I am.

I try and play as clean as possible and not commit fouls. But in my position it is not easy to play without giving away free kicks.

When I do play I try to be the best to help my teammates.

The more people that write me off, the stronger I get. That's my feeling.

Mesut and I played together at Werder Bremen and Arsenal for so many years. There is no other player that I shared so much time with. We were important for each other.

First and foremost, Wenger saw us as human beings and he had a lot of faith in us, which is why he stood by us.

The main thing for me was that I wanted to be able to decide when my international career would end after 10 years myself.

It is a lot of fun here in England and at Arsenal.

One thing is for sure, I will give everything every time I put on the Arsenal shirt.

Talent is what you make of your situation.

It is not only the skilful players who can make the difference in a game. It is as well players who just try to stick to their qualities and give absolutely everything.

Of course I have an advantage with my size on set pieces.

I was extremely lucky with my career and I want to finish on a high.

Sometimes I get the feeling that some parents really think their son can pay for their pension, especially being in London.

I expect myself to perform at that level every single week.

At Arsenal you are replaceable so quickly as a player, I don't want to stand in someone's way.

I want to make an impact on young people's lives and be part of their future no matter what they do because I have seen that all the very talented players at 15, 16 still had very little chance to be successful in football.

Doing something for others helped to not put that focus too much on football and to put things into perspective of how fortunate we are.

Wenger has won three Premier League titles, which is proof enough of his standing as a manager.

I think it is so beneficial to English and British football when youngsters see different cultures and environments.

You learn a lot from defeats. As well, you need to learn from victories.

Some days you realise that everything is a burden, both physically and mentally. That it's not about fun, but you have to deliver without a doubt. Even if you are injured.

Obviously, everyone looks at whether we bring young footballers into the first team, that's one of the goals. But I wouldn't discard someone who is successful in life, that's big. The hall of fame in the academy should be a wide variety of stories.

Arsenal is one of the top teams in Europe and I have been looking out for Arsenal since I got my first jersey when I was ten or 12.

When I played for Hannover I had several offers, also - as I have been told - from Hamburg, Bremen and Bayern. Back then I already was a German international and Bayern would have loved to have the complete German national team.

My home town called me a citizen of honour. So I'm a special citizen now.

Everyone says I should really savour the last year, play as much as possible, really soak everything in. I'd most like to sit on the bench, or, even better, in the stands.

I want players to think: 'OK, this has happened now, what is next for me?' That's a very big target because what are academies about nowadays? Is it really just to find one or two players? But what happened to the others? I'm very, very interested in that.

I was talented at a young age, but I still had to grow and develop further.

No matter how much striking power you have got, you need to have a sense of defensive compactness from everyone.

Mentality is a big part of every game, when you take the initiative and when you drop.

If there is a really good player at U16 level who disrespects the coach, if you then say: 'You can go somewhere else then. That is not how we do things here.' That would be powerful.

Arsenal has always been special for me.

In the moments before a game starts my stomach turns around as if I had to vomit. Then I have to choke so violently until my eyes tear.