17. On whether he would leave Tottenham on a free transfer: “I’m staying.”

16. On moving abroad after Arsenal, before eventually joining Portsmouth: “I’m 30 now and in five years’ time I won’t be in this country. That’s definite. Italy looks good to me because it would suit my kind of football. Spain is an option.”

15. On his future in politics: “I have got so much to offer.”

14. On how he’s viewed in England: “Football-wise, I’m more respected around the world than in my own country. It’s true. If I had this type of career somewhere else, I’d probably be a sir in that country by now.”

13. On how to dress in the countryside: “I do like the attire. I have all sorts of country clothing because we do live in Northumberland as well as London. You need good quality gear. If it starts pelting it down and you’re in bad gear, you get wet very quickly.”

12. On his ambitions as an actor: “I think to act you need emotion and I’ve got a lot of that.”

11. On the prospect of leaving Tottenham for Arsenal: “Being a Spurs fan as a boy and a player for so many years, it would be hard to sign for Arsenal. I don’t think the fans here would ever forgive me.”

10. On green energy sources: “Yet another application for a wind turbine around our home in Northumberland, attempting to destroy our historical and beautiful view.”

9. On what would have happened if his mother and father hadn’t moved from Jamaica to the UK: “I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have played for my country, and represented it in a fantastic way. I’ve contributed tenfold, even more than that, in terms of what I’ve done in the game, and that would have been lost.”

8. On mansion tax, shortly before selling his London home for £25m: “I can’t afford to pay this type of tax. You are penalising me for sticking my neck out and going for it. I could have lost it. And I have paid my fair share.”

7. On Tottenham fans: “When I left Spurs I was one of the best defenders in the world and had done so much for such a long time with ultimately little reward. I practically kept the club up on my own for two years. Given that, you’d think the Spurs fans would get off my back. I understand them having a problem with me moving to their rivals, but it was a purely professional decision. Arsenal had a ridiculously good team at the time and I knew I’d win trophies there. I have no regrets.”

6. On the reason he wasn’t made England captain: “I believe if I was white, I would have been England captain for more than 10 years - it’s as simple as that.”

5. On shooting: “My first time, two years ago, I managed to shoot 11 birds having never picked up a gun before. Last year I went to a couple of clay ranges, Bywell and another one in Newcastle, and I was quite the natural. I am very competitive so I really listen to instruction. It was enjoyable. This year I shot about 30 birds – much to the annoyance of my father-in-law. That was a mixture of birds. The banter was just lovely.”

4. On his colleagues at Spurs: “I had muppets as team-mates who were on treble the money.”

3. On the honours system: “I’ve got no OBE, MBE, nothing. And no one says anything… How can I have this career? And be who I am? And no one’s said anything? To get an MBE, just three people have got to write in. Three people have never written in about Sol!”

2. On his potential: “Yes, I was a footballer, but there’s more to me than meets the eye. I’ve got more levels. So many levels. I’m not going away – and I’m going to keep on talking until things start changing.”

1. On why he did it: “I always dreamed of winning the league at White Hart Lane. So I left and joined Arsenal.”

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