You have to surprise opponents, keep them guessing. Doing the same thing over and over again without variation will not work.
— Arjen Robben
Since I've been at Bayern, I have seen the Bundesliga grow.
I went abroad when I was 20, three years at Chelsea, a big club. Then two years at Madrid.
I'm always a realist, and I know the world of football is fast-moving.
I have always said that I do not want to play in the Europa League.
If Mourinho loses 4-1, he doesn't sleep well.
Playing United is the sort of thing that really gets the best out of me.
Van Gaal is the best coach I've had. We've got a very special relationship.
The football in Spain is more about skill and technique. Every team tries to play good football. The physical side, with plenty of running and hard tackling, plays more of a role in the Bundesliga.
If you want to achieve something and have results and win competitions at a high level, you have to defend as a team.
It is important that it - sometimes there are clashes between team-mates. We need each other to tell the truth, and this is not always a positive.
Munich is a great city. I have lived in many cities in Europe, but I have never felt this comfortable, and my wife and children love it as well.
The appreciation between Bayern and I has always been there, from both sides. I know what I have at this club, and I always say that.
When we are in possession, tactically, he is the best coach in the world for me. He works hard, watches a lot of games, and prepares us really well. Guardiola has the feeling for gaping spaces, and he already had that as a player.
I want the good players of other clubs to stay in the Bundesliga.
It was a big step for me in the Netherlands: to leave home at the age of 18.
Even during a sprint, I can occasionally still accelerate. I am so fit that I can accelerate during a acceleration, like making a new start.
I have lots of energy, but that doesn't happen like magic. I put in many extra hours in the gym and with the physios.
There's always so much to improve, no matter your age.
Only being able to watch is the hardest thing for any footballer.
Messi is in a different world. He is the best player in world football, without any doubt.
I'm a very explosive player and need everything to be right. I started working with an osteopath the last year I was in Madrid and have stayed with him.
What I will miss the most about Guardiola? His obsession with the game and his knowledge, which makes you a better football player.
We have to respect the opponents.
Players come and go, and that goes for coaches as well.
It's really amazing what Pep Guardiola has done at Man City.
The kind of money English clubs have available to spend is unbelievable. They buy everything they can.
The older you get, the better you get to know you body.
After my debut as a pro for Groningen, I was at Eindhoven for two years.
Bayern Munich are a team that absolutely have to play in the Champions League.
The best and most important step of my career was when I moved here - and Louis van Gaal brought me from Madrid to Bayern. It was the best move of my career, and it's thanks to him.
I always want to play. It is important to gain match rhythm.
If you're at school, children who play football, you give everything to win... If you don't succeed, that's a huge disappointment. Then it's okay to be sad, but better times are coming.
I had some very good years at Madrid.
I think I had a positive development at Chelsea. I was very young when I arrived, only 20, and the problem I had was injuries.
I've been playing football for a while, but Guardiola really made me a better player. I was 29 when I started working with him, so I wasn't very young, but if you see the steps I made thanks to him, it shows you what he is capable of doing. Guardiola didn't just put me on the flanks but in other positions as well.
A backheel is good if it works, not if it disrespects the opponents.
I want to try to have fun as long as I can and play football at a high level. I do not know how long that will go on.
Every league has its own culture, its own identity, and its own type of football. It's very physical in England, but technical skill comes to the fore in Spain, where everybody wants to play beautiful football. The standards are very high in Germany, too; the teams are physically strong, very disciplined, and very well organised.
