I knew that Karimi would not come to the national team but invited him to show that I have no problem with anybody.
I have a lot of respect for Ali Karimi and appreciate his football but we cannot get desired results with big names. It won't work.
Thomas Muller deserves enormous respect. He's hardly ever injured and has always been with the national team, where other players might have said they are tired, need a break or were injured. He has busted his butt for the national team.
I'm not a nice guy on the field, and I've never really respected a guy who's been a 'nice guy' on the field. I want opposition to be hard, to play to win the game for their team.
Any player who is in a national team is their because he deserves to be.
It had never been a decision to choose between the French national team or the Senegalese national team because I was growing up in France and playing in the French youth national team, so it was something really normal.
I feel like I've always been doubted or slighted. Let's be honest. When you're a walk-on, you don't start for a No. 1 team, a national championship contender. You just don't. A walk-on is a guy who plays scout team, who's just happy to be on the team.
I'm from New York, I'm 53, I have my moments when I'm a nice guy, and more frequently I have my moments where I'm a middle-aged aggravated person. For years I was always the nice guy, so in life I had to pretend to be the nice guy.
I enjoyed playing for the national team, the French national team, because I think France gave me a lot and gave my family a lot, so to wear the French national team shirt was really good, and I wore it with pride.
A return to the Eredivisie would be nice, but only if it's Ajax. I don't want to play for another team.
You cannot compare the way someone plays for a club and for a national team. At a club, you spend every day with the same players. In a national team, you are with your team-mates for only a few days.
This Dutch national team is a team of friends, guys who work for each other and are good for each other. I think it's nice to see.
Believe me: Everyone at City knows about Timo Werner. Many of my team-mates asked what kind of guy he is. He deserves respect.
Sugar Ray Leonard was as close as anyone came after Ali to being Ali, but he wasn't Ali.
I've been the captain at Ajax and once for the national team - it's nice and makes you an important player.
The captains of the national team are the ones that have played the most matches. That's what I had in the national team. Maximum respect to those players.