David Villa

“I started out playing football in the streets, playing barefoot like all the boys there - we didn't have the money for football boots.”

“I am a very optimistic person. I don't know if it is because I've come up right from the bottom, but I am someone who always thinks you can make things better.”

“For me, the best defender I played against was Carles Puyol. He was my teammate, too, but my rival many times. Also, Roberto Ayala, the Argentinian centerback.”

“In Europe, the leagues have been around 100 years.”

“Looking back and thinking about the past and what I've done makes no sense - I'd like to keep achieving things. Then, when I retire, I will appreciate everything that's happened and everything I've achieved.”

“I don't like to criticise referees because I believe it is a very complicated job, and what they do is very beneficial for football.”

“Football was much, much more than I hoped it would be. If I dreamed as a kid, I could never have foreseen such amazing things.”

“When I was eight, I went into a football school in my neighbourhood, and we played five a side on a little court.”

“Every one of my team-mates and every one working in the club wants to make things better. I'd like ask the public, the people who come to the games, to trust that we are working hard to improve. They shouldn't doubt things will get better if we all stay together.”

“I don't like to criticise referees, because I believe it is a very complicated job.”

“I would like to praise all of my coaches, from Pep to the first I had as a kid, because all of them have helped make me who I am.”

“I have always had the same philosophy throughout my career: work hard for your club, and if you get selected, it's because the hard work was seen by the head coach.”

“I made good friends at all the teams I played for, but with the national team, we created a family. It was during years when we won many trophies, and we have a special relationship because of that. Together - Pepe, Torres, me, and others - we have something.”

“The World Cup was the biggest thing ever for the national team, but the Champions League is the biggest thing for clubs.”

“I learned a lot of things that made me be a better player and have more of a variety on the pitch.”

“At the World Cup, most teams changed their style when they played us and maybe were more defensive. In the final, we didn't know if Holland were going to do the same, but the important thing was we beat them in the end.”

“Unfortunately, in life, you have to make decisions based on so many things. I love watching the Premier League, and I've always had the opportunity to go, but a better offer always got in the way.”

“Honestly, I am a fan of the game like anyone else, so my favorite players' list is pretty big. But if we are to narrow it down to England, I have a lot of respect for Wayne Rooney and the things he has achieved for club and country.”

“Playing in a team like Barca, you always feel pressure. The demand is to win everything, but this is good for you as a footballer: it makes you play better.”

“It was a great time in my career, playing for Barcelona with the best players in the world, in the best team in the world at that moment. It was amazing for me. I can always say to anyone that I played at Barcelona with Messi, with Xavi, with Iniesta, with Pedro, with Pique. And we won a lot of trophies.”