I always loved watching the Champions League, growing up.

When I was growing up, I was focused on football and school.

No matter how good you are, your mentality has got to be right. A lot of young players, that's where they go wrong, and that's what I've always seen when I was growing up - players who are almost there but couldn't quite get there because the mentality wasn't right.

I feel I have been very lucky. When you are growing up, you have dreams of being a footballer, perhaps even playing for the club you support, and I am living that dream.

I was lucky to come from a difficult area. It teaches you not just about football but also life.

I am very hopeful that my personal success in Qatar will ignite others, especially those in the so-called non-traditional sports, to try even harder because now they can see for themselves that significant achievements can be attained. But let me stress that it takes a lot of work - in fact, very hard work - mixed with very heavy doses of patience.

Parenting is no sport for perfectionists.

In sports, the confluence of the 1989 Oakland vs. San Francisco World Series and the Loma Prieta earthquake notwithstanding, the earth rarely moves.