Thierry Henry

It was tough at the time but when I was younger, my Dad. I would say my Dad, because without him I wouldn't have been here. I mean it was tough for me because he was really demanding. With him, it was never enough, you know, anything I did was never enough.

But one thing you need to do in the game, is to adapt and adjust your game to what you have been asked to do and also to what your body is telling you to do.

In New York it seems like there's no Monday or Saturday or Sunday. The town is always moving. The vibe is great.

But the moment I've got a ball at my feet, I'm happy.

At the end of the day, you either want or you don't want to know about it. It's a mercy thing - you have to give back. However you do it, you have to give something back. You have to.

I'm obsessed by the idea of making my mark on history. And Arsenal is my paradise.

I've always loved New York; I've been visiting New York since 1996. People don't look at you like, 'What are you doing? What are you wearing?' There is also that thing that when people know that you have worked hard to get something, people have that respect for that here. You worked hard - good for you.

So many people say that obviously my game has changed since I arrived here and I say that it's good that it changed, otherwise it would show a lack of intelligence.

My dad always taught me to never be satisfied: to want more and know that what is done is done. That was his way of seeing the game. You've done it, now move on. People might say, 'Well, when can you enjoy it?' But it worked for me because, in the game, you need to be on your toes.

I always think about what I missed, and I think that was my driving force - never be satisfied with what I've done.

So when I go home, sometimes, even when I had an amazing game, I always think about what I missed.

I have to say that when I was young, when any politician was talking I wasn't even interested. Maybe they were saying some nice stuff, but then if you put Michael Jordan on TV, I was interested!

To be a footballer was just a dream, and I don't believe in dreams. I only deal in what is real. To be honest, I've never thought about what I could get out of football or where it would take me. I just wanted to play. I'm the same now.

But, at the moment, when I step on the pitch, when I have the ball I know it's mine. It's just a feeling.

The only thing I won't watch is darts. And I don't watch cricket. How can you like a game that requires you to take four days off work to follow a Test? And I don't really like golf. I know a lot of English footballers play, but I know that if I go with the club to play, sooner or later I will end up trying to smash the ball with my foot.

To say that my dad pushed me is an understatement. I was never naturally drawn to football.

At the beginning, you are 20 and you can just imagine... don't get me wrong, but having money. Then you realise that it's not only about you and what you are doing but that you have to give back.

It's difficult to talk about Pele because I didn't see him.

You learn from your mistakes.

When I was 20 or 21, I didn't... I won't say care about anything, but you're like in your own world - you made something that you always wanted to do, and then you kind of think only about your family and yourself.

I may be French, but I'm playing for Arsenal.

That's the way I've been educated: I always think about what I missed and the things that you did, you did them, so you don't have to think about them any more.

Because that's just the way it is, and don't sleep on what you did before, you know, because it can... not hurt you, but you can find yourself sleeping on something that happened in the past, but you dare to progress and there is always room for progression.

I am always honest, and I am not the sort of player to say, 'Oh, I love Arsenal' and then sign for someone else. I think if I was unhappy, I would say that, but I'm not. I do love Arsenal.

I always have a football handy at home, and I'll play with it. Sometimes it'll get on my wife's nerves. But the moment I've got a ball at my feet, I'm happy.

Politicians are there to try to deal with stuff, but sometimes it's both fortunate and unfortunate that people like us have more... not involvement, but more power in the stuff that we say.

When I was younger I was trying to do what I wanted to do, not what the game wanted me to do.

I always think about what I missed,and I think that was my driving force never be satisfied with what I've done.

In football you always get judged on your last game. Whoever you are, or how amazing you are, it's the last game that everyone has seen.

Sometimes in football you have to score goals.

My dad always taught me to never be satisfied, to want more and know that what is done is done.

I am a believer in passing the ball on the ground, I was lucky to be part of teams like that at Arsenal, with the French national team and with Monaco and at Barcelona. I know you can win in other ways, but I believe that is the way football should be played.