Nobody's going to give you the World Cup; nobody's going to give you an easy game - not Scotland, not Argentina, not Japan, and not whoever we get going forward.
Nikita Parris
To me, it's just another game of football - 11 players, a grass pitch. Regardless what shirt I have on, it's important you win the game, and I'm competitive as anyone, and I want to win every game, whether it's a Sunday league game, a five-a-side tournament, or a World Cup qualifier.
I just want to be at the best place possible to ensure that I really kick on in my career, that I constantly have challenges, because in football, you don't have long. It's easy to become complacent when game time comes so easily, and you're doing so well.
I've always wanted to work with young people from disadvantaged areas.
You've got to have dedication because there's a lot of sacrifice which goes into it - a lot of your time is minimal with friends and family, especially in the past 10 years.
The pride you feel when you represent your country, not to mention scoring, is something you can't really explain. It's massive.
Once I started playing as a striker, I'd say I looked up to Julie Fleeting and Thierry Henry.
I'm always playing jokes, even on the manager - some, not many. I want to try and keep my place in the squad.
Being the best is:applying yourself to your potential, putting out the best version of yourself.
I was a natural talent, a raw talent. Then I came to Manchester City, and I learned philosophies.
Everyone used to say I'm a rising star, and I've got raw talent, but I really wanted to be, honestly, the best.
If you don't have competition in a squad, you can have complacency - and, if you have complacency, you won't win.
Football still gives me butterflies; it still makes me smile.
The Champions League is one trophy that I need to win.
It was never a case of male and female when I was growing up. I played with my cousins, my friends. From a young age, I played on the local streets, just with my neighbours. The majority would be boys, but a couple would be girls, so I never really thought too hard about it.
You have to sacrifice time with your family, your time as a teenager. You don't experience life like any other, outside of football. When you go to uni, you can't live the uni lifestyle. But I've never, ever thought about quitting football.
I've never really spoken French. I didn't do French lessons at school, so I'm starting from scratch.
I have a niece now, and it makes me want to be better for her, just to show that there's a big wide world outside Toxteth, and you can imprint yourself in any one of those places as long as you do the hard work and have the desire.
I'm the one who is always bantering. Millie Bright and Rach Daly are pretty bad. Jill Scott is up there, too, but I'm probably the one who initiates it all, and people come back at me.
When we go out to train, we work hard, but when we're back in the hotel, you want to chill out. People want to switch off from football because you spend so much time doing it. For me, switching off means playing jokes.
I knew from a young age what I wanted to do, but that's not the case for everyone. Some go through different paths to reach their destination.
I go home every day, and my mum still lives in the same house. It's not one of the most affluent areas of Liverpool - some may say it's deprived - but we have an abundance of love and support.
On an odd occasion, you'll still find me shouting at referees when I've become increasingly frustrated, but I've tried to control my temper.
I've grown not just as a player but as a person. But my passion will always remain. It's there because I love football, and I love fighting for my club and my country.
Every time I step on the pitch, I think about winning and putting on a performance that ensures my team comes out on top.
I do a bit of boxing in the off-season to stay fit - it's a different kind of fitness.
Ever since I was kid, I dreamed of playing for England.
Every time I step onto the pitch for England, I feel great pride. I want to keep working hard to stay in the starting XI and push on to win trophies.
Playing at the Women's World Cup is my long-term goal and, hopefully, I can contribute to winning a medal.
That first game was so hyped up, and it was obviously my first experience of a crowd in a World Cup. When I first walked out and heard the national anthem, it was just an unreal experience. I didn't expect a crowd like that.
There weren't any opportunities to be a professional women's player until I was 16 and the WSL was formed.
As a young kid, you never really understand what it takes to be a footballer: what it's like after you've won or what the changing room is like after a loss, or, as an individual, have you played a good game? Have you played a bad game?
Let's build women's football from the bottom before we get to the top; it's not about building from the top to get to the bottom. We can talk about the Etihad and Man United's ground, the Theatre of Dreams, in a few years' time. Let's fill the Academy Stadiums, the Kingsmeadows, first of all.
Our under-19s, under-20s, under-17s teams are all getting into Euro finals, World Cup finals, winning bronze medals. We're winning bronze medals; it's about that final step now. We've got to punish teams. In every game - youth games, senior games - just to push the game further.
Me and fellow scouser Toni Duggan are a double act. We are always pre-planning some sort of practical joke.
I use Palmers Coconut Oil for my skin. My hair routine is thorough: I hot-oil my hair every two Sundays after games, top it up with coconut oil every third day, and deep condition my hair every two days.
I recently started my own NP17 Academy within Liverpool Community College, which gives 16-19-year-old girls an opportunity to embark on a sports career, whether it be as a coach, player, physio, or nutritionist.
Completing my degree in Sports Development at Liverpool's John Moores University while being full-time at Manchester City is one of my greatest achievements.
I would say the best trick I've pulled was putting salt instead of sugar in Phil Neville's tea.
Scoring a goal for England is special. Scoring in a World Cup is even more special.
Our keeper, Karen Bardsley, stakes out any penalty, any free-kick, any corner. KB knows the detail of how the person will take it.
When I step up to that penalty spot, I know the consequences. They're the same whether I miss the first, second, third - or the 10th - it will be the same.
I'd go with our dad to watch our brothers play Sunday League. When I heard all the shouts, the reaction of the crowd, I wanted it to be about me.
I was pretty wild as a kid. Football tamed me. It put me on the right path, got me focused.
There was always sibling rivalry. Tennis, football, boxing, whatever - you always want to come out on top of big sis.
You've got to be fit to box. In football, if you need a breather, your team-mate can take over. There's no one in the ring to help out.
You have to respect America for respecting the pioneers of the game. That's important. We do that a lot in our game in England. What they've done for women's football across the world is massive.
The biggest thing I got from my sister's career was never to give up. She had so many ups and downs throughout her career. Injuries and big injuries - ACLs. And she never gave up; she always came back fighting.
I'm proud to say that my sister was the first female boxer in the Olympics. That's history. She made her mark. And that's what you want to do in any sport.
Always stay in a happy medium in sport, because you never know what's around the corner.
