When I was younger, I was an aggressive fighter but I'm growing into someone who understands we don't have to answer things with violence.

I suppose when I was growing up, it was all about fitting into a box or fitting into a category. You know, looking like I listened to hip-hop, or looking like I listened to grime. You'd see someone and go, 'Oh, look at that person. He's wearing that or that; he listens to punk rock.'

We've been ahead for so long in the U.K., we're so multicultural, and that's the beauty. That's why grime was formed, from this mix, this understanding of different people.

Thank you to everybody who was there for me when I was going through depressed times.

I did learn that there's a bigger picture than just being the best at your sport.

I think self-belief is a massive thing in football. If you don't believe in yourself, not many others will. Work hard and believe in yourself, and I think you'll go as far as your body will take you.

I have loved football as an almost mythic game since I was in the fourth grade. To me, the game wasn't even grounded in reality. The uniform turned you into a warrior. Being on a team, the mythology of physical combat, the struggle against the elements, the narrative of the game.

I train hard, every day, not because it's my job but because I love football.