Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Epic things happen in soccer.
The Ballon d'Or is a subjective matter.
I hope I can retire at Atletico Madrid.
Wherever Mourinho goes, he is a champion.
I consider my time with Chelsea a personal triumph.
Some players benefit from criticism, but for others, they don't.
Everyone wants to play. If you don't, normally you're not happy.
At the level Neymar moves at, you do not change teams for money.
Many players enter the pitch just to change shirts, but I don't.
If you give Messi a metre, he'll snatch the ball and leave you behind.
Paulinho will surprise many people. If he does not fit at Barca, he would at Atletico.
A footballer's career is very short, and I want to finish it in a strong and spectacular way.
I feel at home in Madrid. I have always felt important, wanted, and trusted by everyone here.
Neymar and Hazard are amazing talents, but the player who gave me most trophies was Diego Costa.
When you work with Mourinho, you have to know that the group, the collective is above the individual.
It's not easy playing against Barcelona in the Champions League. They are a club with a lot of history.
Often, players talk when they feel they are not being valued as they deserve. Then they get more attention.
In the Premier League the big clubs can lose and drop points. Games that are supposed to be easy are never easy.
I was delighted when I found out that Atletico wanted to take me back. It's the best thing that could have happened to me.
When I left for Chelsea, I wanted to prove that I could play in the Premier League, but it didn't happen the way I dreamed.
When I arrived at Chelsea, I had got used to playing 50 games, and suddenly, I was sharing my position with another player.
You know 'The Shawshank Redemption?' I've seen that movie, like, 30 times or something. 'Dirty Harry,' too - I love that movie.
I've had some of the best years of my career at Atletico and remember the supporters, my teammates, and the coaching staff fondly.
I have always liked Chelsea a lot. I watch a lot of the Premier League, and it is a club where you can feel the warmth of the fans.
Messi is so good that he can win La Liga even with a mediocre team, which is not the case. Barca remain up top every year because of him.
With regards to the fans, whenever I've played in the Atletico shirt, I have given all that I can. I think I will win the fans back on the field and not with words.
In one year I won two titles - one being the Premier League. I have a trophy at home that not many people have and in possibly the most competitive league in the world.
It's true I wasn't as important at Chelsea. I never demanded that. What I wanted was to be a champion, because few people get that. I succeeded. But the happiness wasn't there.
I admire Messi: he's never complained to me in any game we played, but I've also never asked him for his jersey and never would. I came to win, not to say I played against Messi.
Speaking about Mourinho is always controversial, and there's always some intrigue surrounding him. But he is an awesome coach who tries to take the maximum from each and every one of his players.
When Atletico tried to buy me back, I did everything I could to make it possible. I had offers from clubs in France and Italy, but I would not have left Chelsea for any other side - only for Atletico Madrid.
In Spain you fight, of course, against Real Madrid and Barcelona, and they almost never lose because they have the biggest squads, and they are two of the biggest clubs in the world. So it's really difficult.
He always scores the opening goal. Because it is one thing to score 30 goals with hat-tricks in easy wins, and another that 20 of those 30 goals are enough to win 1-0. Nobody does that as well as Diego Costa.
I lived in Holland for one year when I was younger and, although they speak Dutch there, I learned a little bit of English while I was there, but really I learned from movies and TV series like '24' and 'Prison Break.'
Playing with Coutinho is easy. He's a very quick player who dribbles well. He knows how to play out wide, and my job is not just to go past and help him: it's also to give the greatest number of passes to him in space around the opposition right-back.
I'm always in the 'butcher' role. But the only way to stop Messi one-on-one is to foul him. Otherwise, if I'm alone, I'll only get the ball one in 20 times. I have to use other weapons, I know the best way to stop him. I know he does not like playing with his back to goal, you must be right on top of him when he gets the ball.