Playing in Germany, who do you think are the best players in the Bundesliga?

There’s a lot of good players: Michael Ballack, obviously, but also the Brazilian Marcelinho at Hertha Berlin has had a very good year. My club is like an all-star team itself - you could pick any player from Bayern Munich, really.

Who have you most enjoyed playing with?

One of the biggest personalities I’ve ever played with was Steffan Effenberg. He was an excellent player, although maybe there were others with more technical ability. With him, it was a case of his desire and will to win. He led the way and the team followed.

It showed in the amount of success that our club had when he was here - it was almost unparalleled within Europe. Playing with such a big personality was a bit intimidating at first, but to play with him and have him in my team then became a very beneficial thing.

What is your favourite position?

I have played in every midfield position this season. We have a lot of flexible players who can interchange positions and I don’t think any of our players have been in the same position week in and week out.

If I picked myself, I would put myself in a defensive midfield holding role because that’s where I prefer to play.

But at a club like Bayern Munich you can’t always choose exactly where you want to play. As long as I’m on the pitch and playing in midfield somewhere, I’m happy.

How do you rate the German national team at the moment?

Germany have done well since Jürgen Klinsmann came in as manager. They are in a transitional period at the moment where they are trying to bring in lots of young players, but even though it’s a period of change, results will always be important for a team like Germany.

How do you think they’ll do in the World Cup next summer?

They are an unpredictable team. We saw them do well at the last World Cup, but not so well in Euro 2004. They are trying to build this new nucleus, though, and obviously they’ll be well prepared by the time the World Cup comes around.

Who are the crucial players for them?

The key figure is obviously Ballack but, behind him, it’s not so clear. I’m not sure they have many other superstar players and I’m not so sure what their starting eleven is going to be.

I think Phillip Lahm could be a big player for them and Sebastian Schweinsteiger has come on a lot. Lots of young players are going to get their chance.

Will playing at home be an advantage?

Hosting the World Cup will obviously be a massive advantage. We saw with France in 1998 and in South Korea in 2002 what a difference it can make to the home nation.

It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the players, the fans and the country as a whole. On the other hand, I think it’s an opportunity for every European team. They don’t seem to do as well when the tournament is held outside Europe.

How do you think it will affect England?

It will almost feel like playing at home. When you think how far we travelled in 2002 and then consider that this time we’ll be flying for an hour and a half to be at the World Cup, it’s brilliant. I’m sure we’ll benefit from that if we qualify.

How are the preparations going in Germany?

The Germans are always meticulously prepared and they will be for this, too. The stadiums are all beautiful and finished already. The hotels and facilities for the players will all be first-class.

What do you remember of the last World Cup campaign?

I was quite young at the time so just to be involved with the England squad was brilliant. Preparation went very well and physically I was in fantastic shape. I think the biggest moment of my career at that time was to start against Argentina and probably the lowest moment was 20 minutes later when I had to leave the pitch through injury.