"I was told, ‘Rafa, there is one game, and this is it, if you do well in this game, you’ll live forever here’. I kept that in my mind.

"At the end of the day, I didn’t grow up here, but then you notice on the streets how it means so much."

"I remember the first half, it was maybe my worst game ever! I was so bad. At half-time we were losing 2-0. Harry (Redknapp) came in, told us to sit down and listen, he made one substitution, and everything changed. It was like two different games in one day, and we won. Taking the penalty... the pressure I felt at that moment, knowing we hadn’t won there for almost 20 years, was incredible. After taking the penalty, I was so relieved because, to be honest, I was so nervous. After the third goal, I thought, ‘wow’. To see how much it meant for the fans… I knew it was a big game, but I never realised it was so deep.”

"I had an interview the other day and I was talking about Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Ledley King, there were so many names I almost forgot the likes of Scotty Parker, Emmanuel Adebayor, Aaron Lennon, Crouchy, Jermain Defoe, I could continue. We were so unlucky we didn’t win something. I left too soon, and I still regret that, it was the worst decision I ever made, but that’s how it is. I always said that when I went on the pitch, I gave everything I had, and I wanted to give the people something special. I tried to do that. I had some good days, some bad days - that’s football - but what I can say to the fans is that I always played with so much pride for this team. I always say this was the most special time of my career."