"At Manchester United Louis Saha nicknamed me The Cannibal, as I never leave any food left over.
"I wanted to find out more about the club, its people and its history.
"I have been bingeing on videos and Eric Cantona DVDs, and I have got people to translate loads of books about United for me.
"Now when one of United's former greats shakes my hand, I know the significance. I have made an effort, even though I never used to be interested in all that stuff.
"I would go home and forget about football, but now I'm going to continue what I'm doing - which is too bad for my family.
"I have joined a club with such a strong identity, I felt it was my duty to absorb it.
"Learning about the Munich air crash in 1958 made a powerful impression on me.
"When I travel on a plane with Bobby Charlton I wonder how he can manage it, given what he has lived through.
"I am keener than ever to respect the United shirt. I advise all players to show interest in their clubs and identify with them. Doing this has helped me a lot.
"I have come a long way. I have 24 brothers and sisters, including eight from the same two parents as me - my father was married three times.
"My progress through life has been like nobody else's. I left home to play in Italy aged 17, having never gone through a training academy.
"I played in Serie C for Marsala, in Sicily, a little town where there was just one bar, and I would often find myself in tears.
"I was paid just £100 a month. Even my mum wondered what was going to become of me.
"On my first day in Italy I got lost on their rail network. I ended up being taken in by a Senegalese family who I did not know, and the next morning they put me on the right train."