Gareth Barry

British managers tend to be a bit more hands off, let you express yourself in training.

Anything you're not in control of you can't be that comfortable with.

I'm delighted to be joining City. It didn't take much persuasion from Mark Hughes; they are heading in the direction I want to go. There is great potential here.

Playing away is always tough in the Champions League.

I've got massive respect for Arsene Wenger for what he's done for the English game, and it would have been good to work under him, but that didn't happen.

I have had four great years at Everton. The fans have been brilliant with me from the day I signed until the day I left. I am proud that the club will always be a big part of my career.

Steven Gerrard - at his peak, he was outstanding both attacking and defensively.

It's a fantastic life I've been living - let's keep it going.

No one has said, 'What are you doing still playing?' Everyone said, 'Play as long as possible.' You stop when you stop enjoying it, and I'll know when I've had enough and can't keep up with the boys.

Nobody likes to lose 3-0.

Confidence and momentum are huge in sport.

My upbringing wasn't overly comfortable.

I'm not one to plan, but I'm always positive about things.

Everyone's expecting you to be playing fantastic football, winning every game, and course it doesn't happen like that.

When you're told you're going to miss out, initially, that first hour after the manager's named the team, you're really disappointed. You can't imagine anything worse. But you can't show that. You've got to go out there and support the lads.

I obviously think I should always be picked. Every player thinks he's good enough to be playing every week.

It's nice hearing your team-mates wanting you to stay.

All I can do is give 100% for the club. That is all the fans will want to see anyway.

It's why the Premier League is watched so much all over the world: because it has more pace and more physicality than in any other league.

Any great club needs the mentality to go on and achieve things - it is what clubs like United have.

I made my mind up that I want to continue playing as long as I can.

I have always said that management is not something I fancied, but it's suddenly, naturally started to enter my head.

I started my career in an era when footballers were different. There was a different culture.

When somebody mentioned yoga for the first time, I just looked at it and thought, 'This isn't for me; it's for an older woman down at the health club trying to get supple.' But I thought, 'No, I can see the benefits there. I've got to embrace it.'

At the World Cup, it's the very top level. It's going to be tougher.

That's one thing that's been aimed at me since I was 17: a lack of pace.

If you go into a shopping centre, there are phones and cameras everywhere, and if you're doing the wrong thing, ultimately you're going to get found out. So it's important you're living your life right, and that's hard for a young player.

For a young player, it's important to have people around you other than yourself. You're immature as an 18- or 19-year-old.

Everton Football Club is more important than the individual.

When you play a lot of games in a row, and you come off the pitch thinking, 'I can't do this no more,' then it is time to look at something else, whether you have six months left on your contract or four years.

You don't see too many attacking flair players continuing until their mid-30s at a high level.

Defensive midfield can be the one position that's easier to play as you get older.

The main reason I have joined Everton is not to try to help my England ambitions - that will come if I am playing consistently well for Everton.

My head has just been all about wanting to play regular football in the Premier League.

I had my time in the England shirt and won a lot of caps.

I was 32 when I signed for Everton, and Roberto Martinez said, 'With your style of game, you can play until you're 40.' I'm sitting there laughing at him, but he was deadly serious. I still laughed.

Sometimes you want to experience life, but ultimately, you've got to make sacrifices and choose the right road.

Most people would snap your arm off to do what I've done, but for me to be able to say my career was successful, I need to have some trophies and some medals in my cabinet when I finish.

I've been in the Premier League for 10 years, more, and the money I've been paid is phenomenal compared to your average, everyday working man.

I feel at Manchester City I will get the chance to play regularly in my best position and play a big part in a successful side.

I have a massive fear of going stale and falling into a comfort zone.

Reports you read in the paper, you never know how true they are.

It has felt like the World Cup was never going to come for me.

The way you adapt and play against different teams and different styles is going to be important.

You learn from being out of the team, but it makes you desperate for another chance, and when it comes along, you just have to grab it. Don't let go.

At school, I was always a central midfielder from a young age. Then, when I joined Villa at 16, the pre-season didn't go too well, so they looked at me as a centre-half.

As a younger player, I never really thought about where I should be on the field. It was just about doing a job.

I played a lot of games for Villa, and one of my regrets is not winning a trophy there - that still hurts, and that's why the big games are important.

When I started my career, we were running around water parks and ridiculous things like that. You used to drive in dreading pre-season back then, but now you know it's going to be pretty tough, but it's going to be probably what you need. It's going to be good for you instead of just slogging away.

In 2012, we had just won the league with City, and I was really high on confidence going into the Euros when I picked up an injury, which meant I couldn't go.