As a kid growing up in Montreal, I wanted to become either a hockey player or a wrestler. Since my family didn't have a lot of money, my parents never put me in a hockey league because it was so expensive.

Remember that before joining Arsenal, I was at Marseille where it was easy for me because I was with my family; I was born there and had played for them since I was nine. I came here on my own, and you grow up more quickly that way. It made a difference, because now I have become a man.

When I was young, one Sunday every month or so, my mom would load my brothers and me into our station wagon and drive 80 miles north to Orange County, where we'd meet our extended family at a Persian restaurant for lunch.

Family Quotes