Manchester United captain Patrice Evra admits racism has followed his since he was a teenager.
Evra, 30, was turned away by clubs such as Paris St Germain as a youngster and was spotted playing on trial at Torino before landing a club with Marsala in Sicily.
"I learnt to look after myself. There were times when I wanted to cry but it taught me to be tough and helped me become a man.
"I was 17 and the only black player in Sicily. I tended to get quite angry and wanted to sort things out with my fists." He said: "I feel I am more of a man than most, because I have taken knocks on the field and off it. I learned that football is a world of sharks. In Italy, people took photos of me when I arrived at the airport, not because I was Patrice Evra but because I was black.
