Andrey Arshavin

“My grandmother used to teach me that it's bad manners to invite yourself to somebody's house.”

“Young players will of course always improve upon coming to England. But I came here at 27 and already had a lot of experience from earlier in my career.”

“I used to watch Arsenal a lot but not so much now because my channel lost the rights to show Premier League football. But of course, I know the squad and I wish all the best to the guys. And of course I am still a Gooner and I think I will always support that club.”

“I need to have emotion to play. Emotion makes me hungry. I must prove every game that I am still strong.”

“I love Barcelona for the same reasons I love Arsenal. It is as if they do not even think of the result, they just want to play and score and if they lose, OK, then they will go out and do it again and win next time.”

“Arsene Wenger wanting me was a big factor. When I first saw him, I was a bit scared, like he was a person from a different planet. I would never in my wildest dreams have thought I would be talking to him, let alone playing for his team.”

“If I had it in my power to introduce a ban on women driving cars and to withdraw all their licences, I would do it without thinking twice.”

“My only regret is that I didn't win trophies with Arsenal.”

“My time in London was an alright part of my career. There were some good moments and there were some not particularly nice ones.”

“At Arsenal, all we think about is how to attack, how to score, how to dribble, how to make a pass. We do not think so much about defence. Probably, for results, this is no good: but I like it.”

“I enjoy the honesty of English football, because nobody gives up, and almost all the best players are here. Italian football is at the bottom because of all those scandals. Their league is not very interesting.”