Quotes from Robert Pires

It was an honour and a privilege to work for Arsene Wenger.

If you look at La Liga, you will see how important the academies are when it comes to producing new talent. Academies play a major role and that is something India should understand.

You lose speed, that's normal, but the technique you never lose.

I never expected to adapt so quickly, but if you are a foreigner it's up to you to adapt to English football because you can't change it. I think I've achieved something in the way I adapted.

It's not in Wenger's philosophy to go back and sign former players when they are older.

In France, the gastronomy is one of the best in the world. But when you move to England, everybody tells you to be careful about fish & chips. And avoid fried English breakfasts. I now know why.

In England, football is a religion. In France, football is not a religion. It's wine and food.

It was a pleasure to play under Arsene Wenger. He was a great manager and I personally thank him for everything as he brought a new philosophy to the Premier League.

I believe one's relatives are the most important people of all, they form a protective circle around you.

In 2000 I was really close to sign for Real Madrid. I was in Belgium, playing the European Championship. I even took a picture with the Real Madrid shirt because all the parties thought that it was a done deal. But Wenger called me several times and convinced me to sign for Arsenal instead.

Playing for FC Goa was a great experience for me.

I enjoyed playing against Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool but the north London derby was totally different. I have so many great memories from this fixture.

For Arsenal it's very important to have a player like Matteo Guendouzi. He's a good player and I think he can make a success with Arsenal. I hope so. He's a great player, he's very talented and he's very confident.

Cazorla is a great player.

All the top clubs want to sign great players, but if you want a great player it costs a lot of money.

When one is small, one always looks up at someone. To me, it was my father, Antonio, a former amateur football player. He was a striker of great talent. He has always been a role-model.

Arsene helped me off the field too. He was like a second dad to me. He loved a player with very good quality and ability with the ball. That's why he enjoyed Thierry Henry, Nwankwo Kanu and Bergkamp.

Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry had more quality than Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus.

To win the World Cup in your own country was magical. When Didier Deschamps lifted the trophy, I thought: 'Wow, I'm a very lucky man.'

People think this is easy to be a football player. They only see the summit but they don't see the ascent, which is far longer and tougher than the career peaks. And there are so few of us to reach the summits. Some might earn €305,000 per month but there are a lot more for whom life is hell.

I started playing with my dad, and football was my dream forever. Step by step, I learnt a lot. I worked really hard, and finally when I was eighteen, I signed my first professional contract.

When you arrive at the training ground, you need to disconnect and focus on training.

Arsenal needs Arsene Wenger, but also Arsene Wenger needs Arsenal. For me, he will die at Arsenal. He is like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. After you think about Ferguson and United, you then think about Wenger and Arsenal.

When you are young and you join Arsenal, the communication with the manager is very important.