Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I feel if football doesn't work out for me, I can always become a rock star.
There are so many things about playing football that seem to me uniquely American. Anybody can succeed, anybody can play, but you've got to work hard to do it.
I work hard every day to try to help my team. I try to have fun too - because football is still fun - and scoring goals, breaking records, that's what drives me.
My parents gave everything. They sacrificed, they went to work. Sometimes they worked 24 hours, so they called friends to help us. They did everything for me to become a football player.
A lot of people say second seasons are harder than the first because people are now expecting you to do stuff, so yes, that's down to me to work hard and try and improve and, like I say, just letting my football do the talking.
I learned in high school that I was going to have to outwork people. I remember running around the track, training for football, and a faster guy ran past me. I just figured, I can outlast him. If I work harder than him, I'll beat him. And to this day I overprepare.
I just tried to make as many plays as possible to try and show them how hard I work and how hard I prepare and that I am willing to do whatever it takes to win football games and to accept whatever role they want me to be in. I think that has helped me throughout my career.
Kevin Hitchcock, the goalkeeping coach at QPR, is an old mate, and I came to work for him on the understanding that I was first choice. If he'd said to me, 'We're also going to sign someone who's won Serie A five times and the Champions League and is one of the biggest names in South American football,' I would have thought twice before signing.