Quotes from Peter Crouch

I got booed by my own fans when I came on in my first game for England. You go through things that are ridiculous. But you get to the stage you realise everyone's got an opinion.

If you go from being a kid at school to being on £60,000 a week, that can be hard to deal with. I didn't have that, and maybe that's kept me a bit more grounded than some players.

The lowest period was when I was with Tottenham, and they loaned me out to Dulwich Hamlet.

Tiger Woods and Roger Federer: those two are born winners.

Nothing can prepare you fully for how harsh football fans can be, but it makes you more robust, able to deal with a lot of what is thrown at you in life.

There is one thing you must know about Marko Arnautovic if you want to understand what makes him tick: he believes he's the best player in the world.

There's no hiding place for someone of my size.

Even when I was at the top, playing in the Champions League final for Liverpool and playing at the World Cup for England, I've never let it go to my head.

It's difficult for anyone to regard a place in the England starting line-up as their own. There's always someone looking to get ahead of you, and that's how it should be.

Mark Hughes played until he was nearly 40 at a decent level, and I think I can do the same.

In my opinion, whenever I've been given the opportunity to play, I've done well and scored goals, and that will continue to be the case.

I've been at Stoke for eight years... I think I've had the same towel for almost eight years.

I'll have an omelette, porridge, and fruit for breakfast at the training ground, then chicken, pasta and soup for lunch; then I can relax in the evening.

I've never asked for a transfer anywhere, but I've been constantly moving around. It's frustrating.

Heading is a skill, and it would be a shame to lose that from the game. There is nothing more dramatic than when you see someone score a diving header, for instance.

Looking around at the faces of the home support at Gillingham, the irony was never lost on me that these people had the cheek to call me a 'freak.' Perhaps they should have taken a look at themselves first.

The jokes about how I look have actually made me stronger.

I wouldn't want to get my pigeon chest out in front of anyone. I don't think the world needs it. I'd probably get a yellow card anyway.

It's nice when you can enjoy yourself and make people smile.

I've played for England; I've been lucky enough to do this for a long time. So why can't you do it with a smile on your face?

When some kids get a sniff of the first team at a big club, you see them change. They can become big-time, especially so if they happen to be captain of the youth team.

Kevin Muscat scared me. You know, people would say 'I'm going to break your legs' - when he would say it, you genuinely believed him.

I think it's helped me that I've always been very grounded, very down to earth. Lots of my friends are people I've known from school, and when I'm away from football, they're the ones who I knock about with.

I made so many mistakes when I was younger.