Andrea Pirlo

I've never needed to play for money. I play because I love football. ”

One part of my job I'll never learn to love is the pre-match warm-up. I hate it with every fibre of my being. It actually disgusts me. ”

I love the food scene in New York. ”

My passion is always the same. In fact, with a new adventure, the passion always grows. ”

I've always been able to play for the love of the sport. ”

In football, like in life, there are always millimetres which can change things - the course of a goal or of a life. ”

Being a philosopher is to think, seek wisdom, and have principles that guide and influence what you do. It's to give meaning to things, find your way in the world, believe that in the end, in every instance, good will overcome evil, even if there's a bit of suffering along the way. ”

As a player, you get to the stage where you realise that you are not 25 anymore - and can't play the way you used to. The intelligent players adapt - and Steven Gerrard has the ability to do that. He is an excellent passer of the ball, possesses an intelligent football brain, and has great vision. ”

When there is a solid base of Italian players, those who come in take their example, and then everyone is working in the same direction. ”

To get onto the Maracana pitch is the dream of every child. ”