Quotes from Eniola Aluko

Perhaps I am influenced by philosophies like the one at Chelsea which was 'If it isn't broken, change it' which saw us win three league titles in five years playing three different formations and tactical strategies so that the opposition could never keep up with our evolution at the time.

Most clubs say they will not tolerate any forms of discrimination - that cannot be something that is just said. It needs to be acted on.

If, say, a striker knows that scoring 30 goals in a season will lead to them winning a prestigious award then they will try that little bit harder because, regardless of what players may say, individual recognition on the world stage is important.

Italian sides will find it hard to attract the world's top players while there is a salary cap.

It is not always about signing star forwards and midfielders.

As a forward it is always a bit easier to avoid the kind of challenges that can cause impact injuries.

My favourite artist is Beyonce. I also like Jasmine Sullivan.

From a young age in England I felt technical skills were coached out of me. I remember when I was 15 doing a rainbow flick over a player's head in training and the coach telling me off and shouting: 'This is not the Eni show.' That discouraged me from expressing myself individually with the ball in that team again.

When I was a young girl I had to deal with people calling me weird and strange because I spent so much time around boys playing football.

I think the quicker we tell young girls who dream of playing professionally that they should believe in themselves, the more prepared they will be for the world of pro sport.

I really enjoyed my degree. But there's so many people I went to uni with that didn't.

If young players are capable of playing 90 minutes every week at European clubs why prevent them from doing that?

Perception is a big thing in football and people need to be more careful about how they choose to perceive young players in the first instance.

As a quick, tricky player, I've been told that I don't go down enough because I've always tried to stay on my feet or I don't win clever fouls around the box. But when you are quick, the fastest way to be stopped is by being fouled so it happens to me a lot, even if I don't always maximise the opportunity.

If a young player feels comfortable in a team then they will flourish and be who they want to be. It's less about patronising them and more about trusting them.

When black men become millionaires and can buy expensive homes for their families, it infuriates people who cherish the social construct where white people are at the top and people of other ethnic backgrounds are below.

As I can testify, living in a foreign country takes you way out of your comfort zone. It's the little things, like ordering food in a different language, buying petrol or learning to drive on the other side of the road, but they all add up to making you a more rounded, educated person.

There is a risk women's football becomes the most popular spectator sport that fans tune into every four years but are not interested in parting with their money to watch the same players on their doorstep.

It's important for a player to leave on the right note. Even if you're not happy to be going, or your relationships at your old club have turned sour, it is always best to be respectful. Thank the club and its fans for their support and the opportunity they gave you and leave with head held high.

It is dangerous to sit on your laurels, but a lot of the time you only have to add one or two people to the fringes of a winning team to improve it.

The big players historically hold a lot of influence at Chelsea and while I would never doubt their attempts to win matches for the club, their levels undoubtedly change depending on how they feel about a manager at the time. They're either having him or they're not, and once they're not it spells borrowed time for the guy in charge.

Just because someone doesn't have a silver spoon in their mouth doesn't mean they can't be highly intelligent.

You've got to find a sweet spot where you skill meets your passion, meets your job.

I think public criticism of players can go one of two ways: either the players will want to raise a proverbial middle finger at their manager and prove them wrong, or the squad will go within themselves and performances will deteriorate.