I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me. I don’t have any other explanation.

We have female footballers that are married and are good wives. The likes of Florence Omagbemi, Nkechi Egbe are married and are good wives to their husbands. It depends on what you want, not when you marry the wrong person. Just like every other person in marriage, when you don’t get your own person, it will give you a problem, both of you will not flow very well. But when you marry the person that you love and want to stay with, everything will work well.

Married to the money, I ain’t never let go

From the male perspective, when commitment is associated with diamonds and mortgages, promises of love can feel like promises of payment.

Players need to see me, they need to know I’m here for them. That’s how I see my part in the team. We are a family, and we have to protect our family values.

Money is not a motivating factor. Money doesn't thrill me or make me play better because there are benefits to being wealthy. I'm just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from playing the game I love. If I wasn't paid to be a professional footballer I would willingly play for nothing."

Gortokai, you have done so much for my old parents, we owe it to you to give you a wife. If I had a husband with money.

there is a lot of pressure that is put upon them to get married.

They [Chelsea] are a financially doped club. They have enhancement of performances through financial resources which are unlimited. It puts pressure on the market that is not very healthy. They can go to Steven Gerrard or Rio Ferdinand and say ‘how much do you earn? We’ll give you twice as much’. I don’t know if there is anything we can do to stop it.

I’m of the opinion that we should encourage our players, push them, fight for them, hype them. I realized one thing, when I was playing in France, the Nigerian press didn’t hype me enough. Mbappe is Mbappe because he’s hyped.

Gods, all this maneuvering for moral advantage. You’d think we were married.

In marriage, alliances and money rightly weigh at least as much as attractiveness and beauty.

When you’re a repeat player, when your world is your business and your business is your world, it’s all about long-term relationships. In any negotiation I believe in leaving a little bit on the table. And in any relationship I believe in sharing the stakes.

Now I’m older and a more important player. And while that brings pressure with it, I like it too.