I accept that in life and football you have good times and bad, and it's how you deal with it.

My private life is perfect. If your private life and your life outside football is good, then it is good on the field for you.

Buddhism allows me to feel well, tranquil, and very happy inside. This is good not only for football but for my life in general.

A lot of people say you always come back to what you are good at. Football has been 25 years of my life, so maybe I'll come back to it in some sort of way.

There is this preconceived idea that I would follow the likes of Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, and Gary into the media because it's a really good life. But football is my life.

People talk about what I did in my private life more than if I'm good at football. 'Oh yeah, he was good, but I don't like him because of this.' But you don't know me! Know me as a footballer.

The life was good in Qatar but I did not enjoy the football. For me, 12 months was enough. The standard was low, but not that low. It was OK but the ambition was not there from the players. It was like playing for nothing. I didn't like that feeling.

I think I did a good job of compartmentalizing my life. It's crazy to say it, but even if football was this dangerous thing, it was a place where I could focus all my energy. I'm sure it's not the healthiest thing to direct stress from football into football, but that's basically what I did.

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