IAN RUSH

Moving from Wales to Italy is like moving to a different country.

This is why cup finals are so special because on the day anyone can beat anyone. That's what it's all about and that's why for me the FA Cup and the Carling Cup are the best cups in the world. That's the beauty of the cup.

I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.

And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us.

It's different from Liverpool. Boston seems to be a friendly place.

In India, kids need someone to look up to. They've got it in cricket: they have Tendulkar and others.

You can enjoy yourself, but you need to look after yourself as well.

You've got to have a dream... if you don't have any big dreams, nothing happens.

I think great players can play in any year, that's why they're great. A lot of it is down to the mental approach.

I love horse racing, I play golf, and I love travelling.

I just wanted to play as long as I could. When you stop playing, you're not going to get it back. When you don't enjoy it, that's the time to pack it in.

I've done my coaching badges, I've got my Pro Licence, but I enjoy what I'm doing now. I'm also the elite performance director of the Welsh FA. The main thing for me was always Liverpool Football Club and my country, Wales - and I'm lucky enough to still be involved with both of them.

I was so shy when I was younger. When I first went to Liverpool I didn't say a word for a year.

People say you should go out at the top but I was enjoying my football so much. Robbie Fowler's exactly the same: he's not playing for money any more, he's playing for enjoyment. Why go out at the top if it's going to make you miserable? I just wanted to play as long as I could.

There are a lot of famous comedians from Liverpool, then obviously the Beatles, and the football club. That's what people in Liverpool are passionate about.

I've got a place in Portugal, which I like very much, but I've just been working in Malaysia for five weeks. My family had a chance to come over and we really loved it, particularly the island of Pangkor.

The only thing I can cook is Welsh rarebit.

I've got tremendous respect for different cultures, for the food and everything.

Mainly it's the parents who remember me. But the kids today, what they do is go and Google you. A lot of them turn up and they know everything about me. They say: 'You scored 346 goals' or 'You wore the No9 shirt for Liverpool.'

I like the Stereophonics. I know the lead singer, Kelly Jones, and there's the Welsh connection.

I realised I'd been spoiled at Liverpool. We were used to winning. In Italy I grew up as a person. I didn't enjoy the football, mind. It was very defensive, but I became a better player because of the work I had to do around the box. Off the pitch, I learned about what to eat and what to drink to be successful, and I learned about life.

Even all the top players going to Europe to play helps soccer in America, as do all the MLS players like Beckham and all that, they're trying to promote it. At the end of the day it's about getting the younger generation interested at an early age so most of them will move on and play.

When Jason Koumas is on form, he's the type of player who calls all the strings

The young players in the Welsh squad aren't young any more

It's best being a striker. If you miss five then score the winner, you're a hero. The goalkeeper can play a blinder, then let one in… and he's a villain.