Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I loved playing with friends and talking trash over 'FIFA' and 'Mario Kart.' Then, in the early stages of my professional career, I got into 'Assassin's Creed' and 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.'
And I think they loved me because I loved being part of their team, you know, and I quite often say to kids, that I was the worst player in the world's best football team - and that was good enough for me.
My philosophy for football is to be happy with what you're doing. When they say that you're one of the strongest in the world, you need to carry on in the same way as you do when they say that you're dead.
I don't just want to focus on soccer, soccer, soccer. You're going to look back 20 years from now and of course you're going to remember the games. But I'm going to remember seeing my family in the stands.
I'd have to say Steven Gerrard has been the biggest influence in my career so far. I watched him when I was younger and then to go and play and train with him every day is massive for me, and still is now.
I use a few phrases to let people know a little bit about who I am. One of them is I belong to Jesus, which is a phrase I always wear on a shirt during the most important moments of my professional career.
I want to change the bad boy image that has stuck for a bit because I don't think I am at all how I have been portrayed. I would like that to change because it's awful to hear and read what is said of you.
I do not like to use a player solely to make a member of the opposing team, for one simple reason: when we cannot retrieve the ball, we are forced to defend with ten men, giving the opponents an advantage.
I've always said I learned to defend myself from an opponent coming for a hard hit. Tricks are part of my repertoire; I use them to try to get past my opponents, but the objective is always to score goals.
I've had to deal with everything but everyone has helped me, including Sir Alex Ferguson, to get through. George Best was a good friend of mine. We loved each other, we both knew where we were coming from.
I'll tell you the truth; I had a double brandy before the game but, before, it used to be four bottles of whisky. Not any more. I was fine. I had a glass of wine after the game. But it was just a mouthful.
I'll tell you the truth: I had a double brandy before the game but, before, it used to be four bottles of whisky. Not any more. I was fine. I had a glass of wine after the game. But it was just a mouthful.
He was a professional rugby player in the area that I played as a youngster. So a lot of people who I went to school with knew who he was and knew that he was black. So I would get racist taunts in school.
When I moved from Independiente to Atletico Madrid, I was only 18, and I found it hard to adapt. But what surprised me most about moving to England was how fast the game was. I like it, but it is so quick.
Belgium's 1986 team is like the Christmas movie that they bring out every single year. That World Cup is something we get to see and hear about all the time. It is part of our general education in Belgium.
People say he doesn't score a lot of goals with his head, but does he really have to with the ability he has in his feet? He makes spectacular goals look easy. His technique is fantastic. (on Thierry Henry)
I always said as a kid that I'd like to play for United, and I once spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson about it. We chatted for around 20 minutes, and I told him that my dream was to come here to Manchester United.
Sometimes you have got to look at things really positively - without putting your head in the sand, you have got to manage the negatives and keep putting a positive slant on it, keep trying to find answers.
To be among the world's greatest athletes and compete for Team U.S.A. while knowing that the entire world is watching is something that athletes dream about. To be able to experience that was truly special.
After spending eight years in Manchester, I received a very warm welcome to Turin. The people are very easy-going, in contrast to other parts of Italy such as Rome or Naples, where passions run much higher.
When I'm on that field, I give it everything I have, and when I come off, I'm a mom. As tired and exhausting as it is, it's about coming back, even after double days, and still being able to enjoy the kids.
Great moments of entertainment, great football, unforgettable evenings. I think that's what it's all about: experience, emotions, and the special touch that the Champions League brings on and off the field.
My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double. And that's what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people who are in need, God has helped me more.
I see the booing as a nice bit of banter and at least it means the fans aren't bored. It's quality. I enjoy it to be honest and I'm getting it even more than Robbie Savage, which is really saying something.
You've just got to listen to what experienced people are telling you. You've obviously got to listen to what they want you to do in training and in matches and commit to improving every aspect of your game.
I was 19 or 20 when The Beatles were at their peak, and I was coming up to the peak of my career, too. I was also the first footballer to have long hair, and that's how I got my nickname 'the Fifth Beatle.'
Do I miss football in Scotland? It keeps you really alive, that's for sure. Your heartbeat fluctuates. I'm flatlining at the moment which is actually quite nice but you need to go up and down to stay alive.
People will say, 'Who are your role models, and who are your pioneers?' And the first person that comes to my mind is Billie Jean King because we didn't have women that we could watch when I was growing up.
Just playing with the lads in school, really, and having a kick around, and I ended up at a Sunday club just for girls, and there was only about 15- 20 girls there, and I just moved on to a club from there.
I've never stopped being Argentine, and I've never wanted to. I feel very proud of being Argentine, even though I left there. I've been clear about this since I was very young, and I never wanted to change.
At Bayern, I was used to coming out of my box to try and clear up dangerous situations. The World Cup was just another platform, so it gave other people the chance to see me who don't watch German football.
As top players, we earn a lot of money, but sometimes we pay a hefty price with our health. I would give away all the money to be healthy again, to be able to do my job. To do what I love: to play football.
Manchester City, the club and the fans, they were amazing. But I'm sorry, the city wasn't that nice. I was all the time at home, and I didn't enjoy it. It was raining all the time. I was a little bit upset.
I'm a bit sad because I'm leaving my cherished team in a city where I grew up and where I played for nine years in Santos. But I'm even happier to be facing a new challenge and for making a dream come true.
No one can compare to Ronaldinho. I remember his plays, his dribbles. I remember him winning every title at the Camp Nou. He made history at Barca, he made history with Brazil and he's still making history.
When I got here with Real Madrid, the truth is they responded very well. I know that the people like me, they love me, they have a lot of warmth for me. I'm enchanted for that warmth and love they've shown.
Porto prepared me really well and this didn't go unnoticed in Spain, as before I went to Real Madrid the club were known as a graveyard for centre-backs. They had amazing centre-backs that had failed there.
Looking around at the faces of the home support at Gillingham, the irony was never lost on me that these people had the cheek to call me a 'freak.' Perhaps they should have taken a look at themselves first.
Anybody who has played with Mesut will tell you how intelligent he is as a player. His vision is probably the best I have ever seen and that is why it is so important to have the right striker ahead of him.
I experienced how Pep Guardiola worked every day. He had football on his mind round the clock: 'What system does the opponent like to play? How do I want to set up my team, who do I want in which position?'
When I had to go for surgery, all the country sent positive messages. I was very happy with that, and all I want is to give back some of this happiness I received both with the national team and at my club.
I don't want people losing respect for me as a player. I want to go out in every game and perform to the highest level. I have no retirement plans. I've had a lot of injuries but I want to continue playing.
When I spoke to Everton, the plan, the project, the history of the club was interesting. If I didn't see ambition in Everton I wouldn't come to Everton and that's maybe a good message to all of the players.
Sometimes things go wrong in 'football. You can lose games, own-goals, you can buy the wrong players. But you do it in the right spirit and you do it honestly. That is not how it went wrong at Notts County.
You're trying to put yourself in that moment and trying to prepare yourself, to have a 'memory before the game. I don't know if you'd call it visualising or dreaming, but I've always done it, my whole life.
I don't care how many championships you've won or how many records you've broken - if you've had a hand in pushing forward not only a game but women in sport's movement, then I think that's pretty darn good.
I have a 16 year-old son, so I'm now a soccer mom. I stand on the sidelines and I hear the things parents are saying, so I want them to understand what it is their kids are feeling in any sports environment.
While traveling, I love granola bars, trail mix nuts, dry cereal and fruit for on-the-go snacks. I also try and start the day with a high fiber and protein meal, such as whole-grain toast with peanut butter.
I was on the sideline with a knee injury and when I came back, I wanted to play at the best level I could. And that's the case for a lot of players, they want the chance to play against the best competition.
Looking back and thinking about the past and what I've done makes no sense - I'd like to keep achieving things. Then, when I retire, I will appreciate everything that's happened and everything I've achieved.