"It was my father who passed on to me the (generous) spirit ... so by naming the schools, I want to salute to my father and pass the spirit on to my son."

On naming the schools he built in Sichuan after his late father and young son

"It's just like how I played the game: I always do the best I can. I think charity is a way to give love to other people. In terms of love, money is definitely not the most important thing."

On attributing his generosity to his personality

"I have chatted with Yao Ming as he has also devoted a lot of his time doing charity work. Even he is nobody in the remote villages. The kids don't care about who you are, they only care about whether you are willing to join them, chat and play with them."

On defying the saying that charity is a job for celebrities

"I preferred to stay in a pure environment in which I could really enjoy soccer."

On choosing where to play soccer

"Maybe it is the deep-rooted Chinese tradition - that seniority must be respected, but on the pitch one should have the attitude that no matter who you are, I will defeat you. Even if Ronaldo stood in front of me I would try to dribble past him."

On never being fully embraced by his team or the soccer fraternity

"I know it's part of the business culture in China, but soccer players should be judged by their competence. We can fool ourselves, but at the end of the day, we will also be a laughing stock in the soccer world."

On the peculiar soccer culture in China