After all the human noise and conflicts have stopped, the absent person has more room in your heart to spread out and be herself. My mother’s been gone ten years and I know her much better now than when we saw each other every day.

The high point of my career was winning the Champions League. No one will ever erase that from my memory, in the same way that no one will ever erase the fact that I did it in a Manchester United shirt.

Every time I look at a Newcastle shirt, it reminds me of the 5-1 victory against them. It’s a pity they never pass it in their own stadium.