When I went to Real Madrid, I was only 18 or 19 years old. It was my first year as a professional footballer. I was very young.
I'm ambitious, I want to play in the Champions League, and that's the aim with Tottenham - to start qualifying for the Champions League on a consistent basis.
It is a great challenge to be playing against the best players in the world, and I always wanted to play in the Premier League and be a part of this league.
When I moved to Hull and I was playing against players in the Premier League, maybe I pinched myself then.
It's hard to get a chance in the Premier League for an English keeper.
I was always reading about the Premier League. It has been a big dream and one that came true. But it is not the end of the dream; it is just starting.
Many American players - Paul Caligiuri, Claudio Reyna, Eric Wynalda, Kasey Keller, Tony Sanneh, Michael Bradley and Steve Cherundolo, just a partial list - have sought the income and challenge of Germany.
Not everyone is Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Even Cristiano Ronaldo's first years at Manchester United were quite difficult.
It's not easy, especially for a German national team player who did great things in the past and maybe is struggling. That's why I think most of the German national team play abroad because if you don't play for Bayern Munich and you don't always win, it's difficult.
A World Cup is always a bit of a watershed for teams, so there will be new faces and players given the chance to perform at a higher level.
My back to the goal, physically fighting off defenders, trying to bang my goals in, every week I have to do the business for this club. That's the life of a striker.
I never saw myself as a women's footballer. Not when I was in my tiny village in Norway. Not when I was suffering in Germany. Not when I finally made it to Lyon.
I kind of had to convince myself when I was playing for the Washington Freedom that this was the highest level that I'm going to reach. 'I'm going to be a professional player, and I'm going to try and be the best one I can be, but it's maybe just not in my cards to be an international player. I won't play in a World Cup.' That was hard for me.
I never felt the same passion for the game in the States and there were a lot of headaches, a lot of obstacles to overcome - it didn't just run itself for the love of the game because soccer is not the No. 1 sport as it is in Europe.
The Premier League is one of the top leagues in the world and I'm a guy that likes to challenge myself, so just to be able to practice against those types of players and play against them every weekend is a dream come true.
I am ambitious; I want to play in the Champions League or in the Europa League.
I would love to play in the Premier League; which player wouldn't? I am happy at AC Milan, but never say never.
When I left the U.S., I sort of left that frustration and that pressure to make the national team behind me.
It's not easy anywhere in the world for a young player to get opportunities at a big club.
I want to play in the Premier League, the Champions League, and I want to continue playing for England. If I'm going to do that, I have to play for my club and put in good performances for my club because there are other English midfielders who are doing that in the Premier League.
You can go anywhere in the Premier League and it's going to be tough. Every single game is so tough. So I think if you make it, and you're lucky enough to play in the Premier League, I don't think there's a need to go anywhere.
