Quotes About Soccer

I have been a midfielder who is a regular goalscorer and scoring 20 in a season was normal for me.

I feel embarrassed at times when I come off the pitch because we are losing games and not scoring goals and conceding goals. It's not nice.

I began searching for my confidence on the pitch as a young boy.

My father taught me to love Flamengo, which has always been my second home.

Statistically, the chance of creating a goal is higher within 10 seconds of winning the ball.

There isn't a single player I would pay to watch. You can say Thierry Henry, he's a fabulous striker, with pace and power, but a great entertainer needs to have charisma, too. Does he have charisma? No.

I work on crossing the ball at pace. That's something that is not easy. And my first touch has improved, as has my understanding of the game.

When I arrived at Roma, someone defined me as Giotto, 'The Painter,' but the nickname I prefer is the one I got from Captain Francesco Totti, 'The Little Prince.'

Before I came to Italy to play for Milan in 2007, I saw in the papers that my name was mentioned in connection with some English clubs.

I became famous when I scored that goal for Mogi Mirim direct from the kick-off against Noroeste. It was 18 April 1993, if I'm not mistaken. After that, my name was in all the papers.

I'd always like to score at Goodison Park, being an Everton fan growing up. Anfield as well would be a nice place to score.

It's not an easy game at Goodison Park - it's always difficult there.

Normally, midfielders only pass the ball, but I dribble as well.

If the opponents are really clammed up, you need to pass around them. If they leave gaps, you pass between the lines.

Making passes is what I prefer the most.

I've learned things in Italy at the age of 31. Some of the passing drills are so complicated you need a high level of concentration and if you mess up the rhythm, believe me you are told!

They are not the same - Xavi is more the man of passing and Iniesta can dribble more - but they have great vision, they are important to the defence and the attack.

Thirty minutes into the game, I was quite comfortable. Then they [...] got two goals back-to-back which certainly turned the game in their favour.

The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn't move, kick it until it does.

I liked living in Japan - the people are really friendly and love their soccer. I had a great experience playing alongside some strong Japanese players and I always look forward to the next time I visit.

When I was a Real Sociedad player, we lost on every occasion we visited Camp Nou. Maybe that is normal for a small team, but with Liverpool and Real Madrid, you expect more.

I really try to take a step back from the soccer world and going a thousand miles an hour every day. I like to do some sort of either meditation or mental visualization or breathing exercises - something to calm my mind down because a lot of times, it's just going faster than it should.

I have confidence in myself, which is vital to be a Barca keeper.

I try and be super vocal on the field because that's what we need, and that's what I want to do.