Quotes from Nikita Parris

I go home every day, and my mum still lives in the same house. It's not one of the most affluent areas of Liverpool - some may say it's deprived - but we have an abundance of love and support.

I use Palmers Coconut Oil for my skin. My hair routine is thorough: I hot-oil my hair every two Sundays after games, top it up with coconut oil every third day, and deep condition my hair every two days.

I was a natural talent, a raw talent. Then I came to Manchester City, and I learned philosophies.

Everyone used to say I'm a rising star, and I've got raw talent, but I really wanted to be, honestly, the best.

I recently started my own NP17 Academy within Liverpool Community College, which gives 16-19-year-old girls an opportunity to embark on a sports career, whether it be as a coach, player, physio, or nutritionist.

Every time I step onto the pitch for England, I feel great pride. I want to keep working hard to stay in the starting XI and push on to win trophies.

To me, it's just another game of football - 11 players, a grass pitch. Regardless what shirt I have on, it's important you win the game, and I'm competitive as anyone, and I want to win every game, whether it's a Sunday league game, a five-a-side tournament, or a World Cup qualifier.

Scoring a goal for England is special. Scoring in a World Cup is even more special.

Playing at the Women's World Cup is my long-term goal and, hopefully, I can contribute to winning a medal.

That first game was so hyped up, and it was obviously my first experience of a crowd in a World Cup. When I first walked out and heard the national anthem, it was just an unreal experience. I didn't expect a crowd like that.

Nobody's going to give you the World Cup; nobody's going to give you an easy game - not Scotland, not Argentina, not Japan, and not whoever we get going forward.

To be honest, I don't feel pressure. I honestly don't feel pressure.

There are prime examples - me, Natasha Jonas, Tony Bellew, Toni Duggan - who have come from areas around Liverpool that haven't been the wealthiest. But we've also been determined to get out and then to give back.

I've grown not just as a player but as a person. But my passion will always remain. It's there because I love football, and I love fighting for my club and my country.

We played out on the street every single day as a family, with neighbours, at the community centres, and I developed the desire to win very early. That environment instilled a competitive edge in me, which has paid dividends in my life.

I knew from a young age what I wanted to do, but that's not the case for everyone. Some go through different paths to reach their destination.

It was never a case of male and female when I was growing up. I played with my cousins, my friends. From a young age, I played on the local streets, just with my neighbours. The majority would be boys, but a couple would be girls, so I never really thought too hard about it.

As a young kid, you never really understand what it takes to be a footballer: what it's like after you've won or what the changing room is like after a loss, or, as an individual, have you played a good game? Have you played a bad game?

Football still gives me butterflies; it still makes me smile.

Once I started playing as a striker, I'd say I looked up to Julie Fleeting and Thierry Henry.

I just want to be at the best place possible to ensure that I really kick on in my career, that I constantly have challenges, because in football, you don't have long. It's easy to become complacent when game time comes so easily, and you're doing so well.

Being the best is:applying yourself to your potential, putting out the best version of yourself.

Our under-19s, under-20s, under-17s teams are all getting into Euro finals, World Cup finals, winning bronze medals. We're winning bronze medals; it's about that final step now. We've got to punish teams. In every game - youth games, senior games - just to push the game further.

I would say the best trick I've pulled was putting salt instead of sugar in Phil Neville's tea.