Quotes

One moment that changed my mentality was the first time I went to Mali when I was six. Soon after that trip, Barcelona signed me, but when I was there I saw children like me, six years old, who didn't have shoes, while I had the opportunity to fulfil my dream. It shocked me. I was six and I didn't understand.

Players like Messi and Xavi are always hungry. Whatever the game or the competition - even if it is table-tennis - they want to win. We used to play two-touch football games after training and they would always be desperate to win. It taught you about life as well as football.

I was born in Spain, I know the culture there, and lived most of my life there, but I have Malian origins too. For me it's a beautiful thing that I can have both. I can be in both countries, speak the language, blend in in two cultures.

If the opposition puts two or three players on me, it means that some of our other players are free. If I can play like that, then it is better for the team.

Any situation in the game when you have the ball you can see there are good opportunities.

If I am the same Adama as yesterday, then it is one day I have lost.

I am working every day.

I am grateful to Guardiola for showing his interest and I hope in the future I can learn from him.

I'm going to return to Barca.

Whatever excuses I can make to you about playing so many games, there is no point - the point is we have many games.

No matter the competition, Premier League or Europa League or cup, I want to win. This is the truth.

Even if it's an unofficial game, if I am on the pitch, I don't want to lose any game.

I learned a lot from Ronaldinho and Messi.

Ronaldinho changed everything for me.

I don't have to be stressed about it. When people watch videos of teams, they might see a certain player and think, 'If we kick him a little bit, maybe he'll get angry, maybe he'll get a booking.

You never know if there is anyone faster than me, but I know my speed and most of the time I use it for good, but I don't know if there is anyone faster.

Most of the time I don't go down when they kick me. I try to stay up, so the referee knows that if I go down it's because they kick me badly.

If the opponent makes a foul close to their own goal, it's a chance for us. I take it like this.

Messi could maybe get away with not trying 100% because he's the best player in the world. But he's the first at training. He's very professional. He was very good to watch and learn from.

With the ball I can run 37kmh but I've never been timed without it because my job is to play football. I'm not an athlete.

It was difficult at Villa because they'd struggled for two years and I'd come mainly from Barcelona B in the second division in Spain. I needed time to adapt but Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde had to win games; they didn't have time to think about little things about my game. It was a bad moment, it was such a hard, sad experience.

People tell me I'm the first in dribbling. But it's important that, after dribbling, I cross or pass or score. If I don't, then dribbling is pointless.

I almost missed the chance to join Barcelona because I was on holiday in Mali visiting my parents' family for the first time. We spent all summer there and every day Barcelona were calling my mother's phone and getting no reply because she had left it in Barcelona.

Everyone knows what a good player Ruben Neves is and I have no doubt he could play for massive clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona or Real Madrid one day.

I played my first game of football when I was 3 1/2 years old.