Felipe Melo: Were it not for football, I would have become a murderer

The 32-year-old has had a relatively successful career, playing for teams such as  Fiorentina, Juventus, Galatasaray and Inter, as well as representing his country in the Brazil national team.

However, the midfielder has revealed that football saved him, and were it not for the game, he would have lived a life of crime.

"My father often had to work double shifts to keep us going and I had to make a lot of sacrifices. Only recently have I started to realise how important those sacrifices were. I would not have been where I am now without them," Felipe Melo told Sky.

"My father was very important to me, but my wife and kids are also very important to me. God comes first for me and then my family.

"But it was football that was instrumental to me. Had I not become a footballer, I would have become a murderer.

"I grew up in one of the most dangerous favelas around. There were a lot of drugs and weapons around. Sometimes I went to training and then when I got back one of my friends had died. I had to choose between football and a life of crime.

"Thankfully I was able to escape all that and pursue my dream. I chose football and a different life."