Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Des Bulpin discovered me and, along with my dad, would be the biggest influence on my career. I remember him telling me when I was 15 that Jermain Defoe and I would play together for England when we were older, and he hasn't been too far wrong.
Ronaldinho is the best. I just like the joy and the love he has when he plays, it just shines for everyone else to see. He always does something nobody expects him to do. I think that's really cool, that creativity you don't find anywhere else.
I take pride in being one of the tougher guys helping the team pressure and there were so many times when I was watching the games that it just killed me inside. Sometimes I couldn't watch and would just walk around the top level of the stadium.
I am dreaming of winning the treble again. I will never forget how I felt after winning it in 2012-13. It was like we were flying. It's a great feeling, it's utter madness. I definitely want to have that feeling again at some stage of my career.
I don't think there was a definite day, but it would have been around my mid-20s. I was always interested in the media side of things. When we travelled with England away, or to World Cups, I used to sit with journos while they wrote their copy.
If my soccer career were over, I would still come here because of the people. And despite the fact I've had to skip some school for National Team purposes, I am looking forward to holding that Carolina degree as soon as I can get my hands on it.
When I was a kid, there were some people around me who were a bad influence. When I met my girlfriend Sofia, who is now my wife, I think it all changed. She was very important for me, because she steered me back on to the path I wanted to be on.
Every single day I wake up and commit myself to becoming a better player. Some days it happens, and some days it doesn't. Sure, there are games I'm going to dominate and there are going to be games when I struggle. But it doesn't mean I give up.
In 2007, Barca B were demoted from the Tercera to the Cuarta Division and I was among the players who wanted to leave. Then Guardiola arrived and he wanted to play with wingers that were spread out across the pitch and he gave me an opportunity.
A manager can have a great idea but if the players don't understand it, or don't follow you, your idea doesn't have much use. On the other side, you can have a bad idea, but if the players are convinced it, and you transmit it well, it can work.
The holiday is clearly growing in importance for the industry. Halloweens fun, enjoyable and doesn't require a big investment to celebrate. The primary focus is the child and families typically do all they can to make sure the children have fun.
For me, Brett Emerton is the heart and soul of the Australian team. Him signing for Sydney FC, it has to be the biggest catch in the history of Australian football. He's a machine and he's probably the best pro I've ever trained and worked with.
I remember always going to the train station where I grew up, and on the wall was written, 'The real wealth of a nation is diversity of cultures.' Where I grew up, that's what I saw, and that's what I believe in as well - and I still believe it.
Scoring from a dead-ball brings me massive satisfaction. It sets me up as an example for other players to follow, copy, and perhaps even emulate over the course of time. For them, I'm a Juninho Pernambucano 2.0, a Brazilian with a Brescia accent.
At the end of the day, I'm human. I'm English - I was born here. Of course I'm a different colour from you, but I'm still human. The main thing is, I'm human - like everyone else. Because I'm a different colour doesn't mean there is a difference.
I am an Arsenal player and I don't think about anything else. I'm not going to say no to anybody, nor am I going to say yes to anybody. I did not say that I was going to leave Arsenal to go to Barcelona, because equally Barcelona doesn't want me.
I've already promised that I want to end my career where I started it, as a way of thanking those who gave me the chance to make my name in football. I want to have a spell there before I retire, but one that's enjoyable for me and for them, too.
I think that a lot of players and a lot of teams don't think of contact lenses as being a part of that essential gear but it truly is. You want every competitive advantage you can find and obviously having great vision is one of those advantages.
My role models were all men. I grew up - I was a big 1980s Laker fan: you know, the years of Worthy, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and, you know, eight-foot-tall men that I could never emulate, and then these big 300-pound football players.
Even before I came out, looking at me, I've probably looked a little gay. I had short hair, and, you know, it wasn't a huge surprise to people. But some athletes have this image to uphold and may feel like sponsors won't want them if they're gay.
[Trading] With the French one had to be especially careful. French oarswomen were known to take men aside, point to whatever they wanted, and then peel off their own shirts. It took great presence of mind to bargain with a half-naked Frenchwoman.
At the most elite level, your nutrition becomes a lifestyle: it's not something you have to do when you're preparing for Olympic games or World Cup games - you just do it. You're more inclined to eat healthier because it's better for your muscles.
I play for the America that embraces refugees from war-torn nations, for the America that welcomes all people who want the chance to experience the American Dream, for the America that appreciates the contributions from all the people it shelters.
Kazim-Richards - there's only one. You type it into Google and nothing else comes up. My first names were meant to be Colin Kazim but the registry office got it wrong. There is no-one with that name - not even my mum and dad - just me - I love it!
When I signed for Valencia, it wasn't the best moment of my football career because in the beginning, I was not playing a lot. But I remained calm, and I knew that if I trained well and played as I know, I'm sure I can get a place in the first XI.
Injuries are not only a physical question, which is the most important thing, of course, but also a question of your mind. If you're thinking: 'I'm not going to make it', 'I can't cope', 'it hurts', 'it's never going to get better', then it won't.
Messi is undoubtedly a gifted footballer, like Maradona and Pele, and he's playing for the best club side in the world at the moment. He's successful and he's winning trophies, so it's only logical that he'll be voted the best player in the world.
On a matchday, I like tie-up my right boot on the pitch before kick-off. I ll tie my laces in the changing room, walk out and then untie my right boot and tie it up again. It s one of those things - I ve always done it! I do it before every match.
When I was five, I joined a club, 'Excelsior', the club of Kralingen, in the first division. I was always training. On a free afternoon, I did individual work with Aad Putters, my youth trainer. Not with the idea growing to be a star, but for fun.
I learned to play football in the streets. Every day of school, everyone came and played football. The street is a good school, and you learn many things there - resiliency, how to play against older players, and how to put up with or dodge kicks.
Everybody knows how much I love Arsenal - I became a fan. And to be out here [in front of the Emirates as a statue] celebrating a goal against Tottenham, there's not much else to say after thatLike I've said before, Once a Gooner, always a Gooner.
I am hugely honored to represent my country in the Olympics and in World Cups, and I'm grateful for all the advantages being a professional soccer player brings my way - the opportunities to see the world, the camaraderie and friendships, and more.
I would never complain about the position I'm in or the attention I get. At the end of the day, I'm very lucky to have what I have and do what I do, but I don't see myself as any different from anyone else who works hard and is a dad and a husband.
A collection of strong-minded individuals who have learned how to dismiss mistakes, disappointments and problems in their personal life make up a strong team. If the majority of the team have that then, as a unit, you are almost impossible to beat.
For the world of football, Messi is a treasure because he is role model for children around the world... Messi will be the player to win the most Ballons d'Or in history. He will win five, six, seven. He is incomparable. He's in a different league.
Now and again, you may be picking a pass or two in behind, making something happen, but when we're attacking - especially at Liverpool - I'm focusing on protection, being disciplined, being careful, worrying about counter-attacks, things like that.
Every club if I am not playing, I leave because I want to play football. All I wanted to do since I was a kid is play football and if I wasn't at a club I'd be playing with my mates on a Sunday. I still come home and play five-a-side with my mates.
I talk periodically with the producers at EA and I try to be as honest as possible because as great as EA does, you just don't want to hear good things. These people are really passionate about making games and making them as realistic as possible.
Tottenham Hotspur has a huge following across the world and I have great admiration for the passion the fans show for this team. We are determined to give the supporters the kind of attacking football and success that we are all looking to achieve.
If you are thinking about mistakes during games then you are not concentrating on what is important which is the next shot or the next cross or whatever you have to deal with in that game. The mental side of things is massive, probably the biggest.
Yes, England lost to Iceland at Euro 2016 but you need to look at what Iceland had, as well as what England didn't. Maybe Iceland were not technically strong but they looked very strong together and England were not the only ones surprised by them.
Without any doubt the best player in the Premiership has to be Paul Scholes. He knows how to do everything, and he is the one who directs the way his team plays. On top of that, he has indestructible mental strength, and he is a genuine competitor.
I grew up a Michael Jordan fan; that was my first idol. But my true sports idol was Deion Sanders: he was the person I always wanted to be. I wanted to play two sports professionally, which would never happen, but to me, that was every kid's dream.
If I am training on a holiday, most likely nobody else is - and that gives me the edge. If I'm supposed to run for 20 minutes and I get back and it's only been 19:34, I'm going to jog in a circle for 26 more seconds. I'm never going to cut it short.
Obviously it's very hard to leave a club that you've supported all your life. But the reason that I've come to Birmingham is that I think Steve Bruce is one of the best young managers in the country and that Birmingham as a club is a sleeping giant.
I love cooking. There is nothing I like better than going home and cooking my family a nice meal. Anything with pasta! Pasta with butter! I have a good repertoire, and I can do quite a few different dishes. Sometimes they work out and sometimes not.
You could have the best suit in the world, but if you haven't got the right shirt and tie with it you could look like a bag of rubbish. I think the shirt is the most important thing - you need a nice collar with it so that you can make it look good.
Carrying a knife has come from my fear of what someone might do to me. So I'll do something to them first. All you have to do is get a hint of danger and I'll all-out attack. There won't be waiting about to see if this person will attack me first.
In all honesty, as you grow older, you understand how important it is to give everything in every workout, training session and match. When you're younger, you think game and practice are different. The sooner you understand they aren't, the better.
I love how I look. My favorite body part is my butt because that's where we get all our power from, and that's what keeps me going up and down the field and drives my explosiveness. I kind of have a bubble butt, but it helps me do what I need to do!