I had problems growing up. I had a sudden growth spurt at 15 or 16, and I got a lot of injuries as a result. I gained all this muscle, and my bones couldn't cope. I used to get so tired.

I'm not one to bow under immense pressure. I know how to deal with it. As a youth player growing up and playing for England, you deal with it then and get used to it. You just carry on into the bigger stages, and it has become natural to me.

As a youth player, I played for England and got used to it, and I have just to carry it on to the bigger stage.

I'm glad I came to Palace because I am getting the game time I wanted. I am also learning to fight with some good players.

Thanks to football my family are able to live well.

Folks who blithely disregard the benefits of football likely haven't played or are being intellectually dishonest. The game, perhaps more than any other, requires absolute dedication and teamwork. Yes, I ultimately quit, and if I ever have a son, he won't play, but I'll always cherish the lessons I learned from football.

I love the feel of hitting the ball hard, the pleasure of a rally. It is these things that make tennis the delightful game that it is.

And from the first time I picked up a basketball at age eight - I had a lot of difficulty when I first picked up a basketball, because I was a scrub - there were things that I liked about it.