It is embarrassing that a player would give up his career and the chance to compete for the biggest prizes in the game just for money.
— Jamie Carragher
Many in top positions around Europe have devoted their lives to coaching.
There are times when I watch Jurgen Klopp leaping around after Liverpool have scored and I think to myself: 'I wish that was me.'
Del Bosque was axed by Madrid for failing to retain the Champions League in 2003 but his sacking triggered the start of a spell when they won nothing for four years and failed to get beyond the Champions League's last 16.
We sometimes undervalue the importance of goalkeepers.
I was born on January 28, 1978, the same day as Buffon.
Anger and bad experiences used to fuel my performances, but it was horribly draining.
We talk about the Arsenal 'Invincibles' of 2004 and the team who won the Double two years earlier and drool over their attacking play. It is easy to forget, though, that virtually the same squad had won nothing for three years.
I only missed nine Premier League games from a possible 228 between August 2004 and May 2010.
Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was always bemused by our enthusiasm for tackling, because he saw it as the last resort.
Xabi embraced life in Liverpool.
This is Leicester City. They are a yo-yo club and always have been.
In some ways, trying to win cups is more fraught than trying to win the league, as one really bad night and everything comes crashing down.
Not playing for Liverpool would hurt me more than not playing for England.
I'm always trying to improve.
In knockout football, it's one bad game and you're out.
Normally in the past whenever Everton have beaten Liverpool, the accusation was that they wanted it a little bit more.
It is a sad day for football when a player about to enter his prime moves for financial reasons and nothing else.
My family regarded the end of my career as a sign they could really enjoy life a bit rather than cancelling plans on the back of a poor result - it happened many times!
Rafa Benitez - man with huge experience who knew how the club operated - could not get the results Real wanted and couldn't walk away from the fights that erupted in the dressing room and the boardroom.
Why does it get assumed that Zidane is a figurehead and everything Real achieve is down to the talent of the squad?
There is so much I admire about Buffon. His longevity is remarkable, his loyalty to Juventus impeccable.
My wife never went to many Liverpool games but if she was out on a Saturday, she would always ask someone for the score. If we had won, she'd simply be relieved that I would be coming home in a good mood.
There were players who could leave the result at Anfield, but me? No chance. I got involved in the running of two restaurants in Liverpool to take my mind off football but, before the opening night of each one, I'd played badly. It meant I couldn't enjoy the party. It felt like I had to punish myself.
Liverpool is no different to any other city in the country for footballers. If you are famous and people know you have money, there will always be someone who wants to make a name for themselves.
I've never blown my own trumpet over my ability but it took an awful lot to stop me getting on the pitch.
I never wanted anybody to think that I deliberately hurt opponents. The vast majority of players are the same.
When I think of Xabi, my mind goes back to the first training session he had at Melwood in August 2004. And the same word always leaps out: wow! Rafa Benitez had talked him up before he arrived and immediately you understood.
Medals were - and always will be - the best thing to show your accomplishments in football.
Compared to other clubs, what we've achieved under Gerard Houllier is exceptional.
Playing for England is a bonus, but playing for Liverpool is what I want to do.
The captain at international level has to be someone who is one of the first names on the team sheet, someone who has the respect of the other players and someone who has good leadership qualities.
Don't get me wrong, the fans are great for us. But the fans, and the players, all of us together have to realise we have to be patient.
You talk about results being more important than performances but, ideally, you want to put the two together.
Coaching for tackles? That's something you do with seven-year-olds, when you show them how to stand and when to make a block. It is one of the basics of the game. No Premier League manager needs to coach it.
A chance to manage at the highest level? What could be better?
Real Madrid is such an extraordinary club in terms of size and the constant politics that, perhaps, the best results are achieved by those with an ability to remove themselves from the spotlight to concentrate on their work.
I've been in the position where Liverpool needed to win on the last day to reach the Champions League. In May 2000, we needed to beat Bradford, who were fighting to avoid relegation, at Valley Parade but lost an awful game 1-0.
Buffon has been a star from the moment he began his senior career with Parma.
The pressure from within used to have an impact on my behaviour. If games had gone badly, I would take things home with me. I'd be snappy at my kids and felt constantly wound up.
People talk about managers having certain styles and philosophies... well, Benitez manages by conflict. Look right through his career and you will see it everywhere.
We are not a nation who has ever produced No 10s prolifically. When I was growing up, attacks consisted of a big man-little man combination, with two midfielders sitting behind.
For the life of me, I'll never understand why the teams that have the best defences get criticised. Shouldn't clean sheets be a badge of honour for defenders and goalkeepers?
When the tone needs to be set and the crowd need to be revved up, nothing is better than a big, shuddering tackle.
People make relegation out to be a fate worse than death but that's nonsense. If the infrastructure is right, clubs can bounce back.
The buzz we had in 2000-01 was unique. We played 34 matches between January 1 and May 19, but lost only four.
Managers are never appreciated when they're in the job.
Centre-back takes more out of you mentally than physically.
We want to play a full year, July to July, because that will mean we've been successful.
The crowd, especially at Anfield, want us to win so much that it transmits itself down on to the pitch at times.
