Quotes About Soccer

I have played for Ajax, Liverpool and Besiktas in Turkey - all massive clubs in Europe.

I had more friends on my hockey team than I did on my soccer team. I might have been better at soccer, to be honest. But I think it was more the friendship, and my family was more of a hockey family than a soccer family, so when I had to make a decision, I tried hockey, and it turned out to be a good decision.

I don't regret turning out in the colours of Super Eagles. I love Nigeria, and I was prepared to come and play for the nation.

Little things that I've emphasized are turning in pockets and looking to penetrate and finding these spaces and playing at a good tempo when we're in the middle third.

This is ludicrous. Seven- and eight-year-olds valiantly trying to cover the same acreage as those grown-up chaps in the Premier League is absurd. To add to the lunacy, a little goalkeeper, barely out of nappies, has to stand between posts that are eight strides apart - adult strides - and under a crossbar more than twice his height.

If I'm in Maui, I play soccer and tennis and go kite-surfing. I prefer doing a sport as opposed to going to a gym. I'm not big on gyms. When I did 'Rampart,' I lost 30 pounds because I felt it was better for the character. I worked out constantly, maybe twice a day, and minimized caloric intake.

Every time some spoiled European soccer millionaire complains about the blaring vuvuzelas, I want them to blare louder.

I have always said the French team is the most important thing that has happened to me. I thought deeply about it and I want to play for France again.

I personally like Kolarov. He is one of the funniest players I have played with. Every day, he has something new, and he is a funny guy!

I've scored quite a few times in Europe, but scoring in the Champions League final is something special.

Man United has always had a unique aura about it, and when you watch them play everyone knows it's something special.

Every day I train with him I try to learn so even if it don't work out I can take something somewhere else because it's Thierry Henry. I grew up watching that guy scoring goals for Arsenal. I'm very lucky to have played with him. I just try to listen to him on the pitch, and stay close.

My brother says that I was writing songs about fate while he was off playing soccer. Now I tell him he's 33 and being a professional while I'm playing soccer with my friends. Ha!

With a line of six in the defence and then three in front of that, it's not always easy to find the spaces to score the goals.

Del Piero is like Raul in Spain, he is the number one.

The press often ask me about Messi and Ronaldo and who is the best, but one thing for me is very clear. For me, the No. 1 is Andres Iniesta, because he is my team-mate for Spain, and I can see that he is able to do even more difficult things on the pitch.

Spain have got a big influence from Real Madrid and Barcelona, and when you watch Spain play, it's almost like watching Barcelona or Real Madrid at times.

In Spain, if you don't follow football, you're dead. You don't have conversation.

I think England is one of the biggest soccer leagues in the world - fantastic! Just like Spain's LaLiga also, with big players, big teams.

I get to wear the best jerseys: that of Real and Spain.

I don't know if you could take a whole 90 minutes and say that was the best game we ever played.

Neymar has been an idol of mine since childhood. I've always tried to mirror myself in the way he plays, and I've also tried imitating some of his haircuts.

Throughout my life, ever since I played for Clausenengen back home, instead of listening to the teacher at school, I was writing down all the chances I missed in a book thinking 'I should have done this.' Scoring goals was all I thought about.

I see myself as a mix between number six and number eight in central midfield - this is the best position for me, as a box-to-box midfielder.