You arrived at Manchester City during a time of great change. Did it feel historically significant right away, or did it seem like a normal transfer?
"It was anything but a normal transfer. When I signed for the club, there was a different owner - he was from Thailand, and apparently he was looking to sell because he was having some trouble with the federation in his country. There were three or four parties interested in buying the club.
"That said, my main motivation was getting to England and playing in the Premier League, so the ownership situation wasn't the deciding factor for me. But about a week after I signed, the new owners from Abu Dhabi took over, and their first signing was Robinho for £40 million. That might not sound like a huge fee today, but back in 2008, bringing in a star from Real Madrid for that kind of money sent a clear message to everyone.
"That was the moment people realised something very big was happening. It was a genuine turning point for the club - and looking back, I came at exactly the right time."
So there was already a connection of sorts between Real Madrid and Manchester City?
"Yes, and what made it so striking was how immediately decisive the new owners were. When you take over a club, it usually takes time to establish your vision and make major decisions, but they acted straight away - this is what we want, this is our ambition, we are going to bring the best players in the world. Paying that kind of money for a Real Madrid star right out of the gate made a very powerful statement."
After those changes, did you feel a responsibility to help build a new culture at the club?
"The whole team felt it. Mark Hughes was the coach at the time, and when we met the new owner, he was very clear. He said, 'We have a clear ambition and a clear vision for this club. We understand that in football you cannot win immediately - if we want to win trophies, we need to build the right team.'
"What impressed me was that the owners genuinely understood it wasn't about winning something in one or two years. It was a ten-year plan. You don't just need great players, you need players who come to the club and show real commitment, players who want to change the history of the club. That takes time.
"New players came in, some of them very good, but some didn't show that commitment and moved on after a year or two. It took about three or four years to build the right mentality to genuinely challenge Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool - to reach the point where we could truly call ourselves a big club."
I have to ask about Micah Richards. What was his reaction when you arrived, and what was he like in the dressing room? Is he the same personality now as he was back then?
"Exactly the same - always funny, always happy, with a big smile on his face. A great person and a great human being.
"At that time, he was actually playing more as a centre-back alongside Richard Dunne than as a right-back, and I was filling the right-back role. It was only the following year, after the club brought in Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott, that Micah was pushed back to full-back, and that's when we began competing for the same position. But it was always healthy competition.
"We had a great relationship and a huge amount of respect for each other — we both simply wanted to keep our place in the starting eleven."
When you scored that goal against Queens Park Rangers, what was going through your mind? And did you still believe the title was possible at that point?
"That game was an absolute turning point for the club. We had won the FA Cup the year before, which was enormous, but winning that first Premier League title was something else entirely. It's the moment when other clubs and players start looking at you differently — when a player thinks, 'If the chance came, I'd love to sign for Man City.'
"For me personally, it was a very special day, even if my goal was the first of the game and few people remember it because everyone — rightly — remembers (Sergio) Aguero's.
"Before the game, we knew we had the chance to win our first Premier League medal, which is something not many players can say. And even though QPR were fighting relegation, we knew it wasn't going to be easy. What unfolded that afternoon — with Manchester United and Manchester City both chasing the same title, and everything that happened in those final minutes — was something truly incredible. You could go years without seeing anything like it.
"United had dominated English football for so long, with Ferguson famously calling us the noisy neighbours. And then to win the title in that manner — it was beyond anything we could have imagined."
How important was Roberto Mancini in creating the right mentality at the club?
"He was crucial. Roberto came with experience of managing big players at Inter Milan, so he knew how to handle strong personalities and large egos — the kind of environment where everyone wants to play and very few people accept being left on the bench. Managing that is a skill in itself.
"He was a winner in every sense, and he had a very particular character. It took us a few months to fully understand him. When he lost a game, he would walk into the dressing room absolutely furious, and we needed to see that. We needed to understand that at this level, losing is not acceptable — that the only standard is winning week in, week out. That attitude was the foundation of our mentality.
"He was a key figure in the club's development during that period."
You were named City's Player of the Year in the 2012-13 season. What did that award mean to you?
"It meant an enormous amount. When the new owners arrived, I was very aware that the money was there to buy the best player in every single position. Who is the best right-back in the world? Go and sign him. And I said to myself — this is my opportunity. I have to earn my place.
"I came to the club thinking I probably wouldn't win anything, and after a year I was looking around at the players alongside me thinking, how fortunate am I? But I knew I had to work hard, keep my place in the starting eleven, and make history with this club. So to be voted Player of the Year, in a squad of that quality, was something I still find incredible. It showed me that when you truly believe in yourself and commit fully to your work, those moments can happen.
"It remains one of the highlights of my career."
Let's talk about the arrival of Pep Guardiola. What changed?
"Everything, in the best possible way. We had played some wonderful football under Mancini and Pellegrini, and we had won trophies, but when Pep arrived, it felt like the club was saying: now we want to win absolutely everything. Not just dominate English football — we want to win the Champions League.
"And of course, having a manager like Pep Guardiola attracts the very best players in the world. He had been extraordinarily successful at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and he arrived with the same ideas, the same philosophy, the same relentless standards.
"I only worked under him for one season before I left, and that first year we didn't win anything — the squad was transitioning, several of us were in our thirties, and the club needed new players with fresh legs and energy. But you can see what's happened since.
"He's been there more than ten years, which is longer than he's stayed anywhere. He's won everything, broken records for points and goals in the Premier League, and produced some of the most extraordinary football I've ever seen. For anyone who loves the game, watching Manchester City over the last several years has been a genuine privilege."
What is one thing people on the outside don't know about Pep Guardiola?
"He is completely obsessed — in the most admirable way. Everyone knows he is a brilliant coach and that his style of play is exceptional, but what strikes you when you work with him is how he inspires players. He arrives in the morning and he is already in his office, thinking about what can be changed, what can be improved — even when the team is playing brilliantly and winning games.
"For him, it is never enough. He is always asking: could this midfielder do something different? Could this full-back play higher up? Could I use this player in a more advanced position? He is constantly seeing things before anyone else does, and that is what makes him extraordinary."
Given that obsession with the game, can you see him managing a national team one day?
"I think he could. After City, I'm not sure I can see him going to another club in England, and similarly, I doubt he would coach another Spanish club after Barcelona. Germany, perhaps. Italy is possible — he played there as a player, and Serie A might appeal to him. But honestly, I think the most likely next step, at some point, is a national team.
"It's a different rhythm — you have five international breaks a year, roughly eight games, rather than sixty. It's less physically demanding as a coach, more about travelling, watching players live, building relationships, and then preparing during those concentrated windows. Two weeks of work, two games, and then a period to breathe. I think he will get there eventually, and I can tell you that every single national federation in the world would want him."
Vincent Kompany was such a leader in that Manchester City dressing room. Now he is having real success as a manager at Bayern Munich. Did you see that quality in him from the very beginning?
"From the very first day. Vincent and I arrived at City at the same time, in 2008, and we spent a lot of time together at the hotel in those early weeks before we had our own apartments. Even then, you could see it immediately — the huge personality, the authority, the fact that he already spoke three or four languages.
"On the pitch he was a natural leader, and as you got to know him, through shared training sessions and conversations in the dressing room, his football intelligence and knowledge of the game made it very clear to me that he was going to go into coaching.
"What happened at Burnley raised a few eyebrows — he got them promoted, then relegated in the Premier League — but I always felt people were too quick to judge. When you put a talented coach with elite players, as he now has at Bayern Munich, you see what he is truly capable of. He also played for Hamburg, speaks German, and knows the culture well. It all made sense. I am genuinely delighted for him."
Two more names — Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli. Very different personalities. What was the difference between them, and did you and Carlos have a particular bond given your shared background?
"Carlos was a sensational signing, especially because he came from Manchester United — that image of him on that huge billboard saying Welcome to Manchester in a blue shirt is something I will never forget.
"I actually knew Carlos from our time together in the Argentina youth teams, so I was well aware of just how good he was. He had this interesting quality in training — he was never one to run himself into the ground from Monday to Friday. You'd leave him to do things his own way. But come the weekend, he was the one who won games for you. That was his gift.
"Mario is someone I still laugh about whenever he comes to mind. Mancini had worked with him at Inter when he was very young — 19 or 20 — and I think he genuinely believed Mario could be the next great striker. And the ability was absolutely there. He was fast, had a ferocious shot, was technically gifted, and I never once saw him miss a penalty. He was an extraordinary talent.
"The shame is that he couldn't quite commit to the professional side of things — the routine of training well, resting properly, eating right, focusing entirely on football. At that level, with the competition he had around him in Aguero, (Edin) Dzeko, and Tevez, you had to be at your absolute best every day.
"And then of course there was the constant drama off the pitch. Every morning at breakfast, without fail, there would be some breaking news story about Mario. But I'll say this — Manchester City fans loved him, and rightly so. That assist for Agüero against QPR, the Why Always Me? goal against United — those are moments written permanently into the club's history.
"As a former teammate, I still have a great deal of affection for him. He was a wonderful lad who perhaps needed more time to mature. I hope people remember the footballer he was, because he was truly special."
After leaving City, you joined West Ham. How do you remember that chapter?
"Very fondly. It was a completely different environment, of course — coming from a club where every season begins with genuine expectations of winning trophies, to one that is often fighting for its position in the league. But I was 33 at the time and looking for something different.
"West Ham had always been a tough ground to visit — the atmosphere at the old Upton Park was something else. And moving to London was a wonderful change for my family as well. At that stage of your career, you start to think beyond just football — about quality of life, about what the city offers your family away from the game.
"I spent three years there, worked under (Slaven) Bilic, David Moyes, and Manuel Pellegrini, whom I already knew from City. There were some genuinely difficult moments — periods where we were looking over our shoulders at the relegation zone — but equally some memorable ones.
"The London Stadium holds 60,000 fans, and they filled it for every home game. East London is West Ham, through and through. Walking around Canary Wharf, you'd see the claret and blue everywhere. It was a great experience, and I remain very fond of the club."
Are you following them this season, perhaps on Flashscore?
"Absolutely — I am a devoted Flashscore user, it's permanently on my phone.
"It has been a very difficult season for them, but they have shown some good form recently. They are only a point or two behind Nottingham Forest and even Tottenham, who are also struggling. I genuinely hope they stay up. I still know people at the club, and I have a lot of warmth for West Ham.
"They won the Conference League, which was a historic moment for them, and a club like that deserves to be in the Premier League."