PHILIPPE COUTINHO

Most of the youngsters I grew up playing with do not have a career in the game now. Sometimes people think it is easy to be a footballer, but it is hard work that never stops.

You define the success of a player by his loyalty or his titles. Or both.

It's wonderful being out on that pitch, being able to play there, with the fans supporting us. It's hard to describe, to be honest, when the team is playing well, when the supporters are chanting and singing their songs, when they are really behind the team.

At Liverpool, I studied Steven Gerrard all the time and improved my game that way. Here, I absorb all I can from Iniesta and Messi.

When I was young, I would watch Ronaldinho play; I would watch him give magic.

If there is something that needs to be done on my behalf back home, for example, my brothers take care of it for me. I share everything with my family; all my happiness and success is theirs.

You have to think and act quickly. You have to quickly come up with a solution to beat a player, because most of the time, you are in a one-v-one.

I love to play football, and when I come on the pitch, I want to do my best to help the team. It's up to the coach the position I play.

What I need to do is to work hard and to always do my best to help the team.

Wijnaldum always tries to do some jokes inside the dressing room. He's always winding people up. He always tries to speak in Portuguese or Spanish with us and dancing.

Hopefully I will have a long career at Liverpool.

Football is more disputed in England than it is in Italy. Every match is a very hard match because the referee doesn't blow his whistle as much as in Italy, and every team plays against each other like it is a final.

Stevie G is the best midfielder I've played with. He was an idol for me and for everyone who watched him play, but when you were together with him, and you see him training, it was different: he was even better.

I really like Ronaldinho. He is the player I have watched the most and tried to copy the most, but I am still learning.

I learnt to do bicycle kicks watching Robinho on the television.

I have so many memories and have so many people to thank at Liverpool. I have to improve as a player. In my head, I always think this.

I am coming here to learn and contribute with my style of football. The most important thing for me in my time here is to win titles. My dream in this shirt is to make the fans happy, win trophies for them, and enjoy playing in the Barca colours.

I like a lot to watch Real Madrid and Barcelona, which are my favourite teams in La Liga.

I need to improve my muscles because they are still quite small at the moment.

I was so anxious for it to be my turn, for the manager to read the letter from my mum. I waited and waited for it. The manager had spoken to the mothers of every player in the team; he'd been reading a message before every game for months, and finally my turn had come.

I know I have to be ready for every single ball, every pass, every challenge. Everything has to be at 100%.

I also had a chance to play in Brazil for Vasco against Flamengo, the local rivals in Rio. So it is the sort of game the players like to play in, and I like the atmosphere, the build-up, and all the preparations throughout the week. You want to be involved in these kind of games.

The No 10 shirt? Yes, I understand what it means in Brazil. The icon number. Yes, it's important. It is the number given to a creative player, and I am happy to have that responsibility, but it is not your shirt number that defines you: it is what you do with a football.

My confidence has been really building since my time at Espanyol.

In Brazil, the one who wears 10 constructs the attacks. That is what I will try to do here. The number I have at Liverpool does not give me any added pressure. The pressure I have is to play well and do my best for the team. I know that I am representing a huge club, and I want to enjoy my football.