I made the wrong decision many times. Sometimes I can accept it, sometimes not because football is like that. But in the end it depends on yourself and whether you are ready to move on or not.
— Dejan Lovren
I had a great time at Southampton and will always be thankful for that.
There is too much said about me but this is what gets me more motivated to work harder and prove everyone wrong.
It would be a pleasure to play against England. They are one of the top teams.
Everything is possible when you believe and you work hard.
If you want to be at the top, you need to have the winning mentality and the calmness.
For Croatians it means everything to play for the national team. Because of the past. A lot of people died in the war. It's like a duty for us to give everything.
My mum was working in Walmart for €350 per month, about £280. My father was working as a house painter. We had a difficult situation with money.
When I was playing good, nobody was saying I was playing good. When I was playing bad, I would be the first one on the front of the journal.
I saw everything on my parents, and I said to myself: ‘I don't want to live my life like this.' They gave me everything they could but it was not amazing.
But Liverpool is a big club, and expectations are high, so it is normal that you are going to be criticised.
One of the biggest challenge for me is when you have Mo Salah and Sadio Mane at the training ground. Then you know where you are.
You simply cannot change what has happened in the past.
It's an honour, of course, to play against the biggest players in the world.
Some moments I feel sad, some moments I'm happy. Overall, I'm proud.
I like to keep fighting in the bad moments and I will never say I am done.
I've achieved big things that would not be possible had I not been at such a big club as Liverpool.
I don't know one player who doesn't make a mistake, especially a defender and especially how we play at Liverpool.
When you go 18 games unbeaten people will say 'wow he's really good' but when you make mistakes they will point the finger at the back four.
Without being arrogant, I think I have proved I am one of the best defenders in the world.
Where would I go from Liverpool? It is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am too happy here to move.
I never said I am the best.
I am giving my best to have a quiet life but sometimes it doesn't depend on myself because people just want to come into my home and steal some things, even though I have nothing in my home.
Maybe if I had signed for Chelsea I'd just have been sitting on the bench and what is the point in that?
My mum said: ‘Germany is our second home' and it's true. Germany gave us their open hands. I don't know which country could have done that, at that time, to welcome refugees from Bosnia.
I never expected that I would be somebody. I just started playing and when I was 12, 13, thought: ‘Wow, I'm playing good.' Then Dinamo Zagreb were speaking about signing me, I thought: ‘Hmm, maybe I can achieve something.'
We need to always stay hungry. When we lose the ball, get it back quickly.
Maybe there is some regret with how I left Southampton.
I enjoy playing against big, top strikers.
I have big problems with the left side of my body. I'm taking pills so I can play. I take five pills before every game.
This is Liverpool, we will always come back when it's tough.
Every year it is more difficult to get into the top four.
Not many players played in a World Cup and Champions League final.
I feel relief after the transfer window is closed. I got tired of reading and listening every day about me leaving or staying at Liverpool. Everyone wrote 'Dejan is here, Dejan is there,' and they knew nothing!
I never had any feelings of hate towards the Southampton fans - they helped me and of course, they made some good business.
I'm my biggest critic of myself when I make mistakes.
At Liverpool, when warmed up, we enter the game or after 15 minutes go back to the bench.
I always try to be better than yesterday.
People always catch you on mistakes and they don't look at the good things you do.
People look at football, they don't look at what is going on around the life.
I remember my dad took my ice skates. One day I asked my mum: ‘Where are my ice skates?' because I loved to skate in the winter. And she said through tears: ‘Dad is selling them now… we don't have money for this week.'
I think people should recognise that I'm one of the best defenders in the world and not just talk nonsense, I will say.
I was German-speaking, and I arrived 10 years old to Croatia, and really wasn't speaking a lot at home with my parents in Croatian, so it was really difficult to write in Croatian. It took me two years after I went back to learn everything again in Croatian.
We know how in football everything changes quickly. It doesn't take too long to lose one game.
I had better offers financially but from the first day I said I want to come to Liverpool.
I love playing against England.
The biggest problem is my back.
In football you can never know. You relax and in one second it causes pressure.
There are teams spending a lot of money and buying top players from all over the world but it is not about money - it is about your team-mates.
I am professional, won a Champions League, silver at the World Cup, I achieved big things in football and don't deserve to go anywhere on loan.
