JAVIER MASCHERANO

Honestly, after five, six months, I thought it was unlikely I'd be here long: my characteristics seemed to go against everything Barcelona stood for.

I'm not a player that gets angry, especially not with coaches.

I remember my first Champions League final in 1996: Juventus-Ajax. That's the clearest memory from my childhood.

My feeling for Liverpool does not mean I'm tied to them.

Before I came to Barcelona, I only thought about one facet of the game: destroying. My qualities were completely defensive, and I wouldn't take responsibility for organising my team's game, our attacks.

When you are not winning games in a row, you don't have confidence, and it is difficult to show all the qualities that you have.

In football, 80% of the game is played in your head; the other 20% is physical and tactical.

Liverpool is a club where you need to be there to enjoy it. It's not worth owning Liverpool if you are going to always be 20,000 miles away.

When I couldn't play at West Ham, I kept my mentality, and I went to train every day to be a better player.

Great players are very good technically, but they also have a huge amount of character because, without it, you will never get to see that great technique because it vanishes under pressure.

I didn't have the chance to play at West Ham, but in football, you always have a chance. When I went to Liverpool, I had the chance to show my quality.

I have had so many team-mates who have been technically better than me.

Playing in England was a fantastic experience. In Liverpool, I felt at home and really, thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Champions League was something very distant for us. I grew up in a very small town with 50,000 inhabitants, and it was a way of being able to watch my idols or people I admired play football on television.

The kudos and hierarchy of playing in the Premier League for a footballer is huge.

Throughout all my career, I have been an honest person, responsible, and respectful of my team-mates and the clubs that I have played for and the countries I have lived in.

I've always been a very passionate football supporter, and I used to watch the Champions League.

Football is not as easy as it looks from the television gantry.

I lived three unforgettable years with Liverpool. I will always be grateful for everything to the club and, especially, the fans. From day one, they behaved impeccably and were amazing.

In my position, I've always admired Claude Makelele. I grew up watching him play. I was able to play against him in the final stages of his career. I have always liked his way of playing football, and given my position and style, he's been a mirror to compare myself against.

I'm a sporting professional; I don't have a great understanding of tax and legal matters.

I have always tried to live football from a survivalist perspective.

When you have someone better ahead of you, you accept it and try to turn the situation around.

Playing at coach is very easy; actually doing it is another thing. Put yourself in the coach's position, and you'll see how complex everything is.

Being the Barca coach is different to being the coach at another club because you have to adapt to the philosophy of the club. At other clubs, maybe you have the freedom to adapt the team to your way of thinking. Here, that's not the case.