I'm so happy that I was able to make it to 120 games for Germany; 175 games would have been possible. I've had many great moments, but particularly the way the fans supported me and the road to the final in Rio.

I am more mature now and know how to deal with certain situations in football. It's not all about highs; there are also lows, but I can deal with it. Football is a hard business.

My absolute dream would be to play for Manchester United and help them reach the goals they have.

I have won the most national titles as a German, so what should I do after that? Lay back and take it easy? That's not how I am.

I felt within myself that I needed to change what I was doing. I needed a new stimuli. So the interest from Manchester United was a perfect fit.

Roy Keane and Paul Scholes were unbelievable players. You cannot compare yourself to them. It is impossible. Scholes especially, I like him a lot, and I have a lot of respect for what he did for United.

For me, it is very important to control a situation in defence. You can always score goals, but you have to add stability in the defence.

I am confident. My style of play is to control a game. You have to be smart in your brain and fast.

The English have a special sense of humour. This I immediately experienced in the dressing room. As I walked with two plates while eating, suddenly a team-mate asked me, 'Basti, what time is it?' hoping I would automatically turn my hand to look at my watch. That's quite entertaining.

The Premier League is a very strong league. Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool all have a high quality. But those who know me also know that I always want to win titles. And I think that Manchester United are a club which can win titles.

There's a famous slogan here in the Bavarian dialect, and we use it inside Bayern Munich. We say, 'Mia san mia.' Literally, it is, 'We are we,' but it means, 'We are who we are.' That's not being very arrogant, but we are very confident about our ability to win the game. It is about a winning mentality.

I'm a competitor.

God doesn't make mistakes.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.

It's football. There's emotions.

Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.

I hate football.

If you made me the national commissioner of football, I'd tell you one thing that I would mandate. The second Saturday in September, we're going to have conference day. Everybody from the SEC plays a Big 12 team. Everybody from the Big Ten is going to play the ACC. Everybody from the Big East is going to play the Pac-10.

Football coaches don't have real problems.

I don't think there's been anything in the game of football in my lifetime that has changed college football more than redshirting.

I've followed Notre Dame football since 1946, when I listened on the radio and Johnny Lujack tackled Doc Blanchard in the open field to preserve a 0-0 tie.

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I played a lot of football when I was younger. I'm a good receiver, actually.

I hate losing.