“In England, it's a rare thing to see a player smoking but, all in all, I prefer that to an alcoholic. The relationship with alcohol is a real problem in English football and, in the short term, it's much more harmful to a sportsman. It weakens the body, which becomes more susceptible to injury.”

“If he hadn't done that interview with Bashir, he wouldn't be there now. That was the first time he ever did an interview like that. He was afraid of something like that all along. And it happened.”