The Reds defender, who celebrates his 25th birthday today (Wednesday), reflected on his route to becoming a World Cup winner in the official magazine and admits there was one moment, in particular, when he knew he had to pull out all the stops to make it as a footballer.
Some frank words by his father helped him realise that this was his destiny, as he set out on the path to the top of the game.
"[When I was] about 13, very young, my parents confronted me," he told Inside United, which is on sale now.