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My worst fears were confirmed as Thierry and I sat in the centre circle after the final whistle. His name was sung from the rooftops, while my contribution was recognised by a deafening silence. It was like I was the invisible man
Soccer players in L.A. can kind of just walk the streets. They have bigger people to take pictures of. They see Sylvester Stallone walking down the street, I don't think they are going to want an Ashley Cole picture, to be honest.
We know at lot more now than the 'last time around the 1960s and 1970s - about how to work for smart schools... ' 'The smart school finds it's foundation in a rich and evolving set of principles about human thinking and learning.'
Having played in U.S.A. in 1994, in France in 1998, as well as the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan - the first on the Asian continent - I have witnessed the excitement and passion unleashed in those different parts of the world.
Luis Enrique has a clear idea, and the team has understood it perfectly. He asks us to press high up the pitch, to counter quickly when the opposition attacks and try to maximise the space between the lines with the speed we have.
If I ever score against Spurs, I won't celebrate. Even if it's the best goal in the world, I'll keep it subdued. It's a respect thing. The fans were brilliant towards me; I'll be playing against my friends and I can't forget that.
I guess the good news that the summer travel season that we were projecting is becoming a reality. We certainly felt that our numbers were going to be there. Our parking lots and parking garage have been full throughout the month.
Soccer fans spend almost as much time outdoors as we do! Whether you're heading out onto the field for practice or cheering from the sidelines, throw a broad spectrum sunscreen into your bag to help protect your skin from the sun.
The 1984 European Championships were held in France and that was something important. I felt on form then, even though I was practically always injured at all the World Cups. It's a great memory. But in any case, the past is past.
I will choose England before any other destination. My dream has always been to play in one of the top two leagues in the world. Newcastle is a good club, and St James's Park is a monumental stadium where there is passionate fans.
It sounds elementary, but I've seen some really talented kids leave Barca because they wouldn't listen or thought they had become a professional before they did. If you are not good in a group then you don't have a place at Barca.
We don't make enough in our job to live the way that we would want to and to have the support that we would need. Most of our income doesn't even come from our salary from our employer and we have to find income from other places.
My father, who is now in Heaven, was a supporter of La U, and I think the truth is that a lot of my family would like me to end up there. My dad was the pillar of the family, and sometimes people do things for their family as well.
My dad has always played and coached, so that's what I knew. I played other sports but always turned toward soccer and had the same love for it as my father. They never forced me to play; I always wanted to. I was always around it.
I used to play as a No. 10, in Bilbao, in most of the games, but when I came to United, when you come to one of the biggest clubs in the world, you realise that if you want to be a No. 10, you have to score 10, 12 goals per season.
I don't think anyone would say that the women on the United States national team are not great role models and ambassadors. Everywhere we go, we connect with fans, sign autographs, and represent our sport and federation with class.
You can teach all the other stuff, you know. You can teach shooting the ball, you can teach having a good touch... passing and whatnot, but when you get out there on the field, it's just a mindset you need to go into the game with.
People make up their mind on whether you're a good player over seven games at a World Cup. You're great if you score goals and bad if you don't. I will always believe in myself, and those who doubt me will always continue to do so.
It's a complicated thing, knowing how much pain my father caused in my life and the lives of others whom I love, yet still holding love for him in my heart. No matter what he did, he was my father. He helped create the person I am.
I don't feel like I'm getting older. I think it's the way I've looked after myself. I take my football seriously. I love scoring goals and I get a good feeling from it, so I'll do whatever it takes to be fit and feel good in games.
I see children now, and many things surprise me: they ask me about my boots and why I don't dye my hair. I wonder, 'Why don't you talk to me about how to cross the ball, control it, the position of the body when I strike the ball?'
You can meet somebody at a club. You can meet somebody at a restaurant. But maybe that person is not on the same page. Maybe that person is like, 'I'm starting out, I don't want to get married now.' Or, 'I don't want to have kids.'
The '54 World Cup was the first time the people got the recognition back after the second World War and felt like they are proud of something you know it brought people back together and you know now we can keep our heads up again.
Of course money is important - to say it is not in football would be a lie. But to find a good player with potential for a small amount of money and then to develop him in the group is a great pleasure for a manager and for a club.
Our style of play is increasingly based on possession of the ball. It suits me as a forward. We've got an attacking approach, and that means that I get a lot of chances; otherwise, I would have not been able to score so many goals.
Midfielders, on average, get somewhere between half a second and a second to think before they have to move the ball on. For strikers, however, it is significantly less: between 0.1 and 0.2 of a second before a defender is on them.
I think each player has an individual style. Each is concerned with giving the best to his team, and I think my best talent is dribbling and setting up goal situations, giving an assist or deceiving one of the other team's players.
I think it's sad to me that I had to make a decision to not play the game that I feel like I'm best at and that I love. But if it was just about the game itself, I'd be there in a heartbeat. But that's not how the real world works.
Part of my preparation is I go and ask the kit man what colour we're wearing - if it's red top, white shorts, white socks or black socks. Then I lie in bed the night before the game and visualise myself scoring goals or doing well.
The illegal wildlife trade threatens not only the survival of entire species, such as elephants and rhinos, but also the livelihoods and, often, the very lives of millions of people across Africa who depend on tourism for a living.
Success doesn't motivate me as much as integrity does. Everyone loses. I enjoy the pressure of showing up every single day, being focused, putting forth my best effort, getting the best out of my teammates, and enjoying the journey.
The World Cup experience is more than just the game of soccer. It's an event. And it will fly by faster than you think. It will end and you'll be saying, 'Wow, it's over already?' You have to remember to take it all in and enjoy it.
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.
Many people agree with me that many things are not clear in football these days and it is not something people who watch football deserve. The situation will be the same while football is run by people who do not understand football
I played soccer all my life and I used to think growing up that they put the fat kid in goal or they put the kid that wasn't good with the ball at their feet in goal and I never wanted to do goalkeeper, I was always the goal scorer.
I won the quadruple at 18 with Arsenal, so I didn't really know what I was chasing after the World Cup, and I was a bit lost, so I didn't know whether to just be content at home and just play my football or go for another challenge.
Barcelona is my life. They have brought me to where I am today. I could not leave, I don't want to leave. I know the Premier League is very good. But I cannot see myself playing in England because my heart is with Barcelona, always.
I turn to someone, I'm not sure, to God I think, but I never ask for anything. I would never pray to win a title; it makes no sense. I've never understood those who pray before a match. I simply give thanks for what I have received.
It was frustrating at Arsenal, obviously. For a year and a half, it went from bad to worse. I could no longer continue like that. I could not bring myself to spend another year at Arsenal and remain a reserve, even a second reserve.
I have climbed every step of the football ladder, from kicking a ball about in Munich's Olympic Park to becoming a junior at Bayern, signing professional terms, establishing myself in the first team and taking the captain's armband.
Best player? For me, it's Paul Scholes. He'll do ridiculous things in training like say, “You see that tree over there?” - it'll be 40 yards away - “I'm going to hit it”. And he'll do it. Everyone at the club considers him the best.
In all I had 10 operations, nine within six weeks. Then one to remove the rod I had in my tibia a year later. I still have problems. I can do a little bit on the pitch, but the day after I feel it. And it is not going to get better.
I don't mind if my performances get dissected and people criticise what I've done on the pitch. They can talk about my game 24/7 for all I care. And a lot of those opinions and criticisms may actually be right. So I don't mind that.
In football, you can't always have it your own way. You can't always have the good times. You are going to have bad spells and periods when you are not playing well. It is something I have to deal with. I have learnt to deal with it.
I just want to help, first of all, the Chicago Fire to grow, to change the mentality to a winning team, and to reach the playoffs. That's my goal. But also to change the game style into a team which is able to control every opponent.
Soccer can be very subtle; it's a very nuanced sport. If I happen to make things easy and people don't see it, that could be a reason why someone might stand out more than I do. But that's just the way I've grown up playing the game.
I am not as dangerous as I used to be. I am not as effective in the penalty area any more. That is something I have lost and something I have to get back. I used to score better goals, great goals. But something strange has happened.
You're seeing more players come back to MLS in their prime and the homegrown talent coming up that's of high quality. I think that game's always continuing to grow, and I'm happy to be part of that growth and come back to the league.
Many people agree with me that many things are not clear in football these days and it is not something people who watch football deserve. The situation will be the same while football is run by people who do not understand football.
I didn't realise how my life was changing. When I was 17, 18, 20, I didn't realise how big football was and everything around football. How many people live for football and love football. I was a professional, but I was a supporter.