</p> William Gallas, how are you? I’m fine thank you.</p> What have you been doing today? Just training and relaxing. Having some massage. After Sunday I think everybody was tired and today we have just done some stretching.</p> Your thoughts on the game against Liverpool? I think everybody was a little bit sad because they wanted to win the game and I think we deserved to win. One point is not too bad though because Liverpool played very well, they are very strong and I think a lot of teams will not win in Liverpool.</p> What was your impression of Arsenal when you were playing elsewhere? When I arrived in England I played for Chelsea. The first time I played against Arsenal I had a lot of pressure because they were very good. Thierry was there and I had to play against him. For me Arsenal is a big club, big team and it was not easy for me to play against them.</p> Your favourite subject at school? I was not a good student. My favourites where the sports.</p> How has Arsène Wenger improved you as a player? He gave me lots of responsibility this year and I like that. Now I am trying to be the best I can be, and be a good captain. What I like about the boss is that I can be with him before the game and we can speak together and I can tell him what I am feeling about how we will play.</p> What are the qualities a captain must have to ensure his team are victorious? We must believe in our quality and just play football and enjoy it. Against Liverpool I just said to the players, ‘enjoy the game because it is good to play in a game like this in front of 40,000 people’. They are young and they should just enjoy it.</p> Do the squad have as much fun off the pitch as they do on the pitch? Yes it is very important to have good fun off the pitch because if you don’t have the fun sometimes you will come onto the pitch and not play well. A lot of the players like to play together like Fabregas, Alex Hleb, Flamini, Rosicky and Van Persie, and they are together off the pitch all the time and that is very important for the squad.</p> Do you play computer games? Not really. It is difficult to find the time to play. With my kids I have to look after them and I have to give all my energy for them and sometimes it is really difficult.</p> What do you think of your character in Fifa 08, and do you always play as Arsenal? Yes. The last time I played was a few months ago and I was very surprised because he looked like me. Not the same quality — maybe better! I like to pick Arsenal and play against another team and try to score. I sometimes put myself up front!</p> Who is the best at Fifa 08? Maybe Cesc.</p> Who should the makers look out for when they make the next game — Fifa 2009? I don’t know. They must find a player that has a good season.</p> Perhaps Theo Walcott? Yes</p> Who is the greatest player you have played with? I think it was Gianfranco Zola. He was a good professional and a good man. He was 36-years-old and all the time he trained very hard to be in the squad and a player like him I like because he was famous but he was very shy in the dressing room. He didn’t speak too much and at the end of training he would stay maybe 30 minutes to stretch and to try and make him better.</p> Are you still in touch with him? I saw him one month ago when I played in Italy with the national team. I spoke with him a little bit and was very happy to see to him again because for me he is a good man.</p> If you could start your career again, would you do anything differently? Yes. I would want to work more at the end of training and work more on my weaknesses. I think that is very important. Sometimes I speak with the young guys at Arsenal and I tell them that they have the possibility to be a good player but they have to work for it. Sometimes if your left foot is not good you should stay maybe 10 minutes and work with it. I feel that is only that way that you can progress.</p> Who is the craziest member of the squad? Surely Emmanuel Eboue! He likes to be like that because he likes to enjoy himself and create a good atmosphere in the dressing room and that is very important for the squad to have men like him.</p> Can Arsenal break their 49 match unbeaten record with this young side? I don’t know because we don’t think about it. We just want to win every game but for us it is more important to win something this year and if we beat that record why not? But we don’t think about it.</p> When you were a boy, which football stars did you have posters of on your wall? No-one. Maybe one player who used to play for Bordeaux and Marseille. He was called Jean Tigana but I didn’t really have anything on my wall.</p> Who did you support when you were younger? Bordeaux. I didn’t have the opportunity to go there but I saw them on TV.</p> Aside from football, what was your dream profession? Football! When I was young my dream was to be a footballer and I did everything to be a professional. It was not easy but if I wasn’t a footballer I don’t know what I would have done. I wanted to be a footballer and that’s it.</p> Who do you think will score more between you and Kolo Toure? Good question! It will be me. I like to have a challenge. Last season Kolo beat me by one goal but this season I will beat him. I know he will try to score a lot of goals. Against Liverpool he tried to shoot from 40-yards and everybody was very surprised to see that! But we know he has as strong foot and is a good finisher. Sometimes he gets lucky! Before we game we talk about it, and if I miss a goal he likes to take the make fun of me.</p> How hard was it to leave your parents and concentrate on football at Clairefontaine? I was very strong in my mind. It wasn’t easy to leave my parents when they went back to Guadeloupe. To be a footballer was my dream and sometimes you have to be strong to do what you have to do. I think I can say I am a good example because when you want to do something you have to think a lot about that and try to do your best.</p> Who has been the biggest influence on your career? Maybe two or three people. My manager at Clairefontaine. He helped me a lot because I was a striker but didn’t score a lot of goals, then I went to midfield and he said I wasn’t good enough to do that — I didn’t give a good pass. He said ‘you have the chance to be a professional if you play in defence’. I have to tell him thank you all the time when I see him because if he wasn’t there then I might not be here today with you. Also my parents help me a lot. My family were very important and they still are. When I go back to Guadeloupe I like to speak to them and that is very important.</p> When was the last time you went to a fancy-dress party and what did you go as? Good question! It was a long, long, long time ago but today I have to go to the shop to by costumes for my kids, my wife and me. I think it is important for the kids, but I don’t know what to buy for myself.</p> Why do French players succeed in La Liga, the Premier League and Serie A, but the national league cannot compete with the big three? That is a big problem but I think everybody know why we leave our league. I don’t want to say why but we do. I think France have to do a lot to keep their players. People know in France we pay a lot of tax and it is not easy but I hope the league in France will change in a few years. It is a shame that all their players want to go to La Liga and the Premier League.</p> Do the current performances of the Arsenal defence benefit the French national team? Yes maybe but problem is that France has other good defenders too. Thuram and Abidal are playing well at the moment. Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna have to be patient because they are still young and they have the quality. Before it was difficult to get in the national team before you were 25-years-old and these two are only 22/23 and are almost there. Maybe next year or in two years they will be there. I think what is more important is that when you get there you must stay there.</p> What has been the happiest moment of you playing career? When I play my first game in the first division when I was with Cannes. It was a good moment because as I said it was my dream to be a professional and when you realise your dream it is good.</p> If you could play in one match with any team in history, who would that be? Maybe Marseille when they won the Champions League. It is very good for a footballer to win that trophy. It is important for your career. Marseille had a good squad when they won and the atmosphere was so good at Marseille and I think I wanted to be there.</p> What were you first thoughts when Arsène Wenger told you he was making you captain? I was very pleased that he told me that. When you are the captain of Arsenal that means a lot because before that Thierry, Patrick and Tony Adams were captain — all good player. When Arsène told me, I said to myself I would do my best and try to win trophies for the team and try to help my partner. At the moment I can’t complain, we have won a lot of games and I try to speak with all the players when something is wrong and at the moment I am very pleased because they listen well.</p> Did any of the players buy the manager a present on his birthday, or was there a cake? No. I went to see him and said ‘Happy Birthday’ and some other players did the same.</p> Who has impressed you the most since you joined Arsenal? All of them. All the young players because at their age I didn’t have that quality they have and I am very happy to see how they train and how they play. I like to speak with them and tell them to work on their weaknesses at the end of training because life is too quick and I hope they will understand what I am saying. Now I am 30-years-old and life goes so quickly. Sometimes I try to do that and work on my left foot but it is too late!</p> Which team-mate would you most like to play against at Fifa 08 and who do you think would win? Alex Song! The last time we played he beat me and he is not good. I didn’t understand how he beat me. I am sorry to say but he plays bad. I want to play against him again to show him I am better than him. I have beaten Kolo already.</p> Who has the worst fashion sense in the Arsenal squad? You have some players who will kill me if I tell you. Alex Hleb, and sometimes Kolo Toure because his clothes are too short on him. For example he takes size large when his size is X-large. It’s too tight. He wants to show off his muscles so everybody knows he is strong! Alumina also maybe.</p> Has anyone mentioned Almunia’s hair? No because the worst is not him. I am sorry to say that the worst is Bacary Sagna. I am sorry but I cannot accept that.</p> How does playing for Arsenal differ from playing with France? It’s a different feeling because when I play for France I play for my country and that makes a lot of difference. With Arsenal the atmosphere is completely different. It is so good and when I watch a game on TV you don’t have atmosphere, but I think for me the best atmosphere is in England.</p> Does Arsène Wenger ever join in training and what is his touch like? Not too bad. Sometimes he tries to do a skill but he doesn’t train with his because it would be too quick for him. I’m sorry.</p> What is the most audacious piece of skill a player has tried on you? It was a player in Champions League last season. Vagner Love, he made some skill and I didn’t understand how he did that. I don’t know if he made a mistake or not and I still don’t understand how he did it on me. I want to see the video again to see if he meant to do it or not. I spoke with the boss about that game and he asked me and I said I did not know if it was a mistake from him or he tried something. He killed me with it and maybe one hour after, everybody call me on my phone and start to say what is wrong with me?!</p> Who is the most skillful defender at Arsenal? Eboue. He is very good at the moment.</p> Who was your first crush? I don’t know. My memory is not good.</p> What will you do on Friday night in preparation for the game on Saturday? I will be in my room watching a DVD and after that I will go to sleep because the game is at 12.45 and we have to wake up early. For me I have to be asleep before midnight.</p> Who is the best captain you have played under and how much did you learn from them? I can’t say the best but I learnt from a lot of captains. Marcel Desailly was good, because when he was captain he spoke to everyone to make sure they were OK. John Terry as well. His personality is good because before game he likes to give good energy to the players and that is very important.</p> How important are your roots in Guadeloupe? It is very important. For me my island is very important. I go back to Guadeloupe every year and I like to be with them and speak about what they feel and what is important now is to look forward. The past is the past but we can’t forget some things.</p> Which members of your family are still in Guadeloupe? All the time I speak to them and they tell about when they were young and life was very different than it is now. I speak to my Dad and I said I wanted to be in that moment — to live that life because everything was fine. Just go out and play with other kids and go to enjoy yourself. It is not like now because there are too many problems and that is not good.</p> Did you watch the Rugby World Cup? Yes, but it was very difficult to accept the defeat to England. They were better than France and they deserved to get to the final. They didn’t play very well but they were strong. Sometimes it is better to be strong.</p> I believe your cousin plays for Stade Francais? Yes, and he is not too far from the national team. Last season he was injured and it was bad for him because he nearly was with the national team. Now he is OK and he will soon play for Stade Francais and I am very happy for him. He has invited me already to go see him.</p> How important was it that Arsène Wenger committed himself to the club for another three years? It is good for everybody. It is good for the club because Arsène Wenger has done a good job for Arsenal and it is not unusual that he signed for three more years. When you have a good manager you have to keep him.</p> Do you hope your children follow your footsteps into football and do they share your love for the game? I have one daughter and one boy. My boy is only a 1-year-old but he like to play with the ball. I am very happy if he wants to be in football but I don’t think his mum wants him to be. She wants him to be a good student.</p> What is the best stadium you have played in, or watched a game at? In Portugal for Euro 2004 against England. The atmosphere was so good! Unbelievable! It is for that, that I like the English people. They are behind their team and it doesn’t matter for them if it is far, they will go and support them. When we play against England it was like we were in London — unbelievable!</p> What is your relationship like with Arsenal fans? I like to see them sing. I want to tell them thank you, thank you, thank you very much for supporting us because every game there is 60,000 people there and that is unbelievable. It is very important for us to feel they are behind us. For me they are the 12th man.</p> How many languages do you speak? Only three. Actually two and a half. French, Creole and English although my English is not really good. Creole is my language in Guadeloupe. I was born in France but all the time I was speaking with my parents in Creole.</p> How did you get found by Marseille? I found them because I wanted to play for Marseille. The chairman wanted to buy me and the manager did not know me. I arrived there and signed my contract but it was put away which meant I stayed one year without playing but I worked very hard to get into the squad after that.</p> How did you get found by a professional club? Cannes found me through Clairefontaine. It is very different than in England.</p> What advice do you have for young players? Work, work and work! Just hard work if you want to be a professional and realise your dream. It worked for me.</p> What food do you eat as a treat to yourself? I like chocolate but I know it is not good for my body.</p> What is your favourite music/food? I like the R'n'B. I like the music from my country. It is very sexy dance music, a hot dance and I like the African music because when I hear it I feel very good.</p> I like food from my country — it’s called donburi. You have to go Guadeloupe to know what it is — it’s very nice.</p> Do you have any hobbies? I like to stay with my kids. Kids are my hobby and to play with them, to see them grow up and to laugh. Sometimes they give me a headache but I always love them. What is the favourite goal you have scored? It is difficult because I have scored a lot of goals in my career. The goal against Manchester United in the Champions League when I was with Marseille. We won 1-0 and I scored. Not a nice goal but we beat them. Another is the one against Tottenham!</p> What is your favourite goal of all time? The goal by Eric Cantona — the famous one when he scored and he looked around in celebration. It was amazing. He was a technically perfect player. Everybody knows he was the best player at that moment. His reaction after that goal was very nice.</p> What animal best represents you on the field? Lion!</p> Have the English media ever upset you in any way? Sometimes they can upset me if they don’t write the right things. It is true because sometimes they don’t write what I say and sometimes they pick something I said in France and they try to translate and it doesn’t sound the same. A lot of players have the same problem. It is difficult for us because people think we have said a bad thing.</p> Who is the most vane player in the squad? Bendter maybe.</p> What aspect of training do you find particularly hard? None. Everything is OK. We train hard but not so hard. In France it is different. With Arsenal we don’t run a lot but in France sometimes we run for nothing. I think it is more important to play football. You can do some very hard exercise with ball, not without it. Some managers don’t understand that and it is a problem.</p> What is the most crucial tackle you have made in your career? I have made some very good tackles, like against Gerrard on Sunday. I don’t know how many. It is very good when it works but sometimes it doesn’t work. That can be a problem. For me with that tackle, the most important thing was the result.</p> What things do you eat as part of your diet before and after you play? I eat everything because my body reacts very well and I can go to McDonalds! That is not true really. I can drink coke, fanta or water. I can eat or drink anything but no alcohol as it is not good - before or after the game.</p> If you have one superpower for the day, what would you have and why? I would change the world because the world is too bad at the moment and that is a shame. Maybe I would put everybody at the same level because we have too many people who don’t have money and that’s a problem in the world. The problem is that some countries have the poor and it is not good.</p> What goes through your mind when you are walking out of the tunnel? I think about what I am going to do on the pitch and I think about my adversary. I say to myself ‘I will be the best’.</p> Who do you think will win the World Player of the Year Award? I don’t know. Everyone knows Cesc is very good at the moment. The season is long though and if he wants to win that trophy he must keep going. It is now November and the season will change as we play more games but if he wants to win it he must keep his energy. It is true that when you are young you want to do more and more but sometimes you have to play one or two touch.</p> What’s your view on television replays? Why not? I don’t mind that. I can understand that some clubs can be very upset about the decision of the referee. It is not easy for them as well because it can be too quick but maybe we should try that.</p> When you did the cross-bar challenge, you said ‘I bet £50 on Mathieu Flamini’ but he missed — did you pay up? Nobody has asked me for it!</p> Who shouted someone needs a hair cut when Bacary Sagna went up? It was not me!</p> When were you last a spectator? A few weeks ago I was at Emirates to see the team play. I was happy they did well and won.</p> Who would win between France and Arsenal? I don’t know. That is difficult question. Maybe a draw because I don’t want t upset anyone.</p> What is your favourite game you have played in? For me it was against Liverpool last Sunday. I always enjoy cup finals but against Liverpool it was so fast and intense and at the end when we drew I was not disappointed because it was not an easy game.</p> How would you feel if you were asked to captain France? I would be very proud but I don’t think about it.</p> Do you have any pre-match superstitions? Not really. Before I go on the pitch I just cross myself and that’s it.</p> When you join up with France, do you talk with former players about the Club? Yes we speak about Arsenal. They want to know if everything is fine and how the people are who work there. They are curious and that is normal because they played for Arsenal for a long time.</p> What do you want to do when you finish your career in football? I want to help the young boys in my country to be in the football profession because it is not easy for them. Guadeloupe is a small island, a French island and the problem is they don’t have the opportunity like in France to go to a school of football. I want to help them and go one summer and maybe take one good player and bring him with me and put him in a club.</p> What is your perfect day? To wake up and to have the sunshine. In England that is very difficult! Today is an exception. Then to go and see my kids, to kiss then and see their smiles. Also to kiss my wife. Have a good breakfast and go to training, and enjoy it and laugh with players. Do a good training session, go back home and if I have time go to the park wit my children and play with them. Then go home and put them to bed and have a good moment with my wife.</p> What makes Arsène Wenger special? He doesn’t put pressure on the players and I think it is very good for us because we play fantastic football. If we make a mistake we try again and that is very important for the young players that they don’t really feel there is a pressure and they can play how they want to play and that is why we are the best footballers at the moment in Europe.</p> Who is the joker in the squad? I’m not too bad. Sometimes I have a laugh at some players. Alex Song and maybe Bacary Sagna. Sometimes Kolo or Hleb also.</p> What else do you want to do in football? To win the Premier League with Arsenal and the Champions League with Arsenal and the World Cup with France and Euro 2008. If I do that I can stop the football. Not before that. It is important to win a lot of trophies because after football only the trophies can give you the satisfaction.</p> Was it a challenge to adapt to the way that Arsenal played? For my position, not really. I think it is different when you play defence rather than midfield.</p> What is the favourite song you have heard from the terraces? I like the song for Kolo and Lasanna Diarra. I am not a good singer though so I am sorry.</p> What is your favourite restaurant? In London it is the restaurant of my friend in Knightsbridge but I have forgotten the name. That is not good - he will kill me!</p> Are you aware that Arsenal don’t get all they deserve from the way they play? On Sunday it was not an easy game. We make once mistake on Gerrard’s goal. That is good for the future though because I think if we don’t make a small mistake we can beat everybody with the way we play. I said before the game we can score at any time but when you play on a Sunday afternoon you have a lot of pressure on your shoulder and sometimes you can lose your head.</p> What is been the happiest moment in your life? Seeing my kids when they were born. I was in the hospital and I had the possibility to see everything and I think it is the best thing to see, when you can give a life to the baby and I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to my wife because that makes me very happy. I think I have changed a lot from before and I just want to tell her I love her and I hope we will have three or four more kids. She knows that already and she said yes. We want a big family!</p> That is the end of this webchat. We end it on an uplifting note. I must say thank you to William Gallas and thank you for your time, your patience and your thoughts.</p> Thank you very much for your question. I will be back because it was a pleasure to answer your questions. Sorry to those I couldn’t answer but I will be back again soon.</p>
