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A lot of things, experiences I had, helped me to grow up and mature, both in terms of my football career and my private life too.
I'll never forget my time at Banfield. It is a club that gave me everything and gave me the opportunity to become a man and a player.
This is football, and one cannot be distracted at any moment because the opposition can put you in difficulty and compromise a result.
Messi is the best player in the world, the things he does with the ball are incredible. If someone knows how to stop him, they have to tell me.
I have always taken pleasure from the affection I received from Banfield fans everytime I have returned here, but I will not close my career with them.
I can honestly say that there's nothing more beautiful for a sportsperson that to play for his or her country, regardless of the tournament or the location.
I'm a fan of Independiente, so I'd naturally like to wear their colours, and I also like Banfield, who gave me a lot as a young player. Either would be nice.
My team-mates at Inter mock me when we are training. 'Stop running, let us win for a change,' they joke. But as long as my body responds, I will keep playing.
I had chances to leave Inter, but this is my home. I stayed here even in times of difficulty and I was always sure that the winds of change would come through.
In 2000, with Tardelli at the helm, I really thought about leaving Inter. I had an agreement with Real Madrid and everything was ready for me to move to Spain.
Messi is an extraordinary player, but your squad is pivotal: at a World Cup, the 11 players on the pitch and everyone else in the group can all play an important role.
Even though I started out at right-back, I actually enjoy the contrast of playing both at full-back and in midfield. Both require physical attributes and a lot of energy.
In the past a lot of Italians emigrated to Argentina, and now us Argentinians, and in my case, us footballers, are returning to Italy. We always try to keep our identity.
I was close to joining Barcelona and Real Madrid, but I am happy to have remained at Inter because I knew that sooner or later our moment to shine would arrive, and it did.
My story is like many other stories. I started very young. As the years went by, I only cared about playing football. I was never obsessed with money or being a professional though.
What can you say about Messi? A guy who has won five Ballon d'Ors, four Champions Leagues and has scored 97 goals in a year. There is no need to win a World Cup to certify that talent.
Maldini was a key figure in world football. I have always had great admiration for him as a player and as a human being. I faced him in many derbies - he was tough but always very loyal.
It's an honour for me to wear the Inter shirt. To have been involved in so many important moments that all of us and our fans will keep in our hearts and minds forever, I feel privileged.
I never imagined that I would be at a club like Inter, with so much history and success and also as the captain. I can't see myself as a coach, but maybe as a director to give back to the club.
My relationship with Moratti goes beyond the normal ties between a president and a captain. I was an unknown and he believed in me. It's something that I will never forget. Indeed, I will always thank him for that.
I liked my father's work. But above all I liked the idea of doing something concrete and useful. Building a house is a metaphor that I like, it's at the core of my life philosophy: starting from the bottom and reaching the top.
My mother was a cleaner and my father a builder. I watched both of them make big sacrifices for my brother and I to study. This is where I get my work ethic from. This is also the source of my generosity and willingness to help.
I am very happy working with Inter, helping them build the club's international relationship with both Fifa and Uefa, promoting the marketing side, its social responsibility activities as well as being involved with the club's academy.
The thing about Champions League football is it can turn on an instant. You can have a very good, solid team over the course of the season, but the Champions League is more like the World Cup, where your fate can be decided in a second and you need a bit of luck too.
You need passion and commitment in your sport or else you will never survive that long. Of course you also have to give it your best shot and be responsible for your own behaviour both on and off the field before you can fully enjoy the game for such a long period of time.
I am a big fan of Independiente and I played in their youth systems before being released for being too small, so I went to work with my father as a builder. This helped me understand a lot of things about life; it made me mentally very strong and it also pushed me to go and play for another team.
I grew up in a humble neighbourhood in Argentina called Dock Sud. From my house, about 200 metres away was a football pitch. That's where I spent my childhood. It's a neighbourhood where everybody helped each other because there was a lot of difficulties. There, I grew up happily, because I learned a lot of things.
When I was young, as a fan of Independiente, my idol was Enrique Bochini. He was a playmaker and a total legend at the club. He never played for another club in his career. Maradona was a fan of Bochini too. So when I think that I have only played for Inter in Italy, I feel a little like Bochini. Only with far fewer assists!