“Visually, my trademarks have always been my glasses and hair.”
“The past can influence the future. When you finish one chapter, you open another, which will be influenced by what you’ve just lived through.”
“The truth hurts, and not everyone can deal with it. Every player is different, but they are all entitled to the truth. It is up to them if they can handle it or not.”
“By playing in the street, the level of Asian football can absolutely improve, as you will get more technical players. They will be quicker, more creative, and after succeeding in the street, it will be a piece of cake for them to do well eleven a side.”
“Ask most people, and they will say their name or profession, but you have to know who you are both physically and mentally. It’s really important in football because then you know your trigger points, how to adapt and improve.”
“Almost every football player played on the streets. And also, a lot of people not ending up as football players play on the streets. It’s the beginning of a lot of social gathering.”
“Everybody in Ajax plays 4-3-3, from seven years old, so they get used to the system. It’s all about being a total player.”
“The Champions League is so difficult, It’s like a lottery: sometimes you’re just unlucky.”
“Anything is possible, and if an opportunity turned up, and it was under the right circumstances, I would love to come back to England in a coaching capacity.”
“I think it’s important to condemn that. There’s a line, and if you have a racial – racist comment, no, somebody has to act upon it.”
“Messi is just an anomaly: he can dribble, he can score, he can pass, he has the vision, he understands the game.”
“Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you be like Messi? No, that’s impossible. Can you be like Ronaldo? Yes, to a certain extent.”
“Jaap Stam is a man-mountain of a footballer.”
“Zizou is a phenomenon. It is an honour to share the same midfield as him. But he thinks the same about me.”
“I have only one body, which is the home of my spirit; therefore, I cherish my body.”
“Sometimes I don’t even accept the simplest medical treatment, such as, for example, the anti-flu vaccine.”
“I can play left-back; I can play in midfield or on the left or right wings.”
“I just want to enjoy football and show the best I can do.”
“I played for Barcelona, for Ajax, where it’s important to develop and integrate young talent.”
“I played street soccer; that’s where I started. If you look at South America, that’s why they have technical players.”
“I have respect for every level of football.”
“I’m just straightforward.”
“That is life: you have to deal with things, and it’s up to you how you deal with things. That’s what makes you mature or not. If you can get the best out of yourself, that’s all that matters. If you do that, nobody is arguing.”
“In management, everything is different. If you look at successful coaches, they always need time to kickstart something. Arrigo Sacchi – when he started the revolution at Milan, he was almost on the brink of being sacked, but then he won, and people started believing in the system; he had more time to breathe.”
“I love London. It is such a melting pot. Everything is here.”
“In both games, you have to think fast. In chess you tend to know all the patterns already, just like in football.”
“I think it’s always unfair, but, if you are Neymar or Messi or Suarez, people expect every week back-to-back goals or brilliant performances.”
“If you play for Barcelona or Ajax or for any top team or top side, they want to see the top players excel every week.”
“It hurts me that Puyol is leaving Barcelona, and I wish him well. For me, he was always the fire that the team needed.”
“Barcelona need somebody at the back who can defend and has that passion the fans love.”
“I’d love to see Balotelli at Juventus. I think he can become the best.”
“Seedorf is doing well, and I am happy for him. I hope he stays at Milan so that he can prove how much he really understands about football.”
“It is a lot easier to manage at a big club rather than at a smaller one. Look at Frank Rijkaard. At Sparta Rotterdam, he was disastrous – and then went to Barca and won everything.”
“My previous bosses – Louis van Gaal and Marcello Lippi, to name two – have all taught me something.”
“I am enjoying my time as Barnet coach, but I think I could do it in Serie A.”
“Pogba is an extraordinary talent.”
“I know him very well, but I think Alessandro Del Piero knows himself the best, better than everyone else, so only he can answer the question if he needs to stop or needs to play. It’s his own decision.”
“Great players will always be able to play with other great players.”
“Gerrard is passionate, and he leads from the front. At times, he has lifted Liverpool to great wins almost single-handedly.”
“Conte is a good coach, but I would steal his place on the bench.”
“I have my own brand called Monta, including a specially designed street soccer ball made out of a denim material which fades like your old jeans when used.”
“I have fantastic memories. It was a memorable time in my life, and I was pleased to get the chance to come to Barcelona and help the team.”
“Street football features all the basics of football: you get a lot of touches on the ball, it is fast, teaches you to think quickly and to be creative.”
“When you play eleven a side, you might go through a game with very few touches, but with street football, you’re always involved in the game, so it is a great way to improve your skill and to learn how to create and use space, as the pitch is very small.”
“Asian players are very eager to work hard, but they don’t have the physicality of the Europeans, so they might actually need to work twice as hard. With street football, their skills will improve a lot, and so will their tactical awareness, because by playing within a limited space, you need to be very focused on your game.”
“Football will never see another Alessandro Del Piero.”
“When you change team, and you have the right mindset and a coach who respects you, everything becomes easier.”
“The only person who can help Balotelli is Balotelli.”
“It is important to have tough and strong players to win back the ball and give consistency to a team.”
“People don’t see the determination behind getting on the pitch every week.”
“I can’t even remember playing a game without pain.”
“Most racist people are like sheep. They are people without backbones.”
“You can get racially abused 10 times before you even reach the football stadium. If you’ve been confronted every day with something like that, it’s hard. This is not about people playing the ‘race card.’ This is a reality that people like to sweep under the carpet.”
“People think racist abuse stops on the football pitch, but that’s just the beginning. When you go home, you are still confronted with it. Football is just a magnifying glass of the real world.”
“I have been racially abused by fans and players, but sometimes it’s just a way to get under your skin.”
“Even though you’re irritated or disappointed about a game, never lose your human side.”
“All teams are grateful for their fans most of the time because they give you the platform to perform. It might sound like a cliche, but it’s the truth.”
“If you approach a player with respect, he will give you that respect back, but sometimes fans are just critical.”
“This game is about engagement and respect, whether you’re playing in the Champions League or in the fourth division.”
“When someone makes a racist remark, that doesn’t make him a racist, but you have to say, ‘This the line. You’ve crossed it, and you have to apologize’ – not only to the person who has been hurt but also the people who live with that racial abuse almost all their lives. I think that’s unacceptable if you don’t.”
“The transition from soccer to fashion was an organic one.”
“You see, in the fashion industry, everybody either knows each other or is linked to one another. If you’re not part of their inner circle, things can be hard.”
“The guy I cater my clothes to wants to be different without going overboard. So we sell many classic silhouettes with unique details to avoid things from getting ordinary.”
“We started a new movement called street soccer, so I was already breathing and living the style. Since street soccer is not a game but a lifestyle, it required a matching wardrobe.”
“When I am on the pitch, I just want to play, I don’t care if it is the Nou Camp or not; I just want to play.”
“I just grew up in Ajax with all the players from Ajax. We only had two or three foreigners, so everyone knew each other and knew the system.”
“I think when I played at Juventus, that was the best team.”
“I started in a 4-3-3 formation at Ajax, playing in left midfield. There, you need to be just as involved defensively as you are going forward. You attack and you defend, and that allows you to be a complete player.”
“When you have too many stars, you have too many egos to manage, and it’s difficult.”
“I cherished every moment with the national team – the good ones and the bad ones – because you learn from your mistakes.”
“It doesn’t matter if you are 30 or 40 or 19 or 17 – if you can play the ball, you can play the ball.”
“I am not at all convinced by Pogba. He plays a lot in England – it’s true – but I expected a lot more from him.”
“He moulded me as a player by teaching me the basics, the fundamentals of football, and definitely made me the player I was until I stopped playing. That is what Van Gaal does.”
“If you look at most youngsters, they have worked well under Van Gaal. I had never heard of Thomas Muller at Bayern Munich before Van Gaal managed him, and he’s now one of the best players in the world.”
“Players can underestimate the Premier League.”
“Fashion is important, man.”
“I coached a team in Brixton – Brixton United – for a while. We won two cups. They are a good team, but I only coached. No playing.”
“I’ve never had a big dream to be a manager, but I’m a curious guy, and I want to see if I like it.”
“I don’t want to be anyone’s mimic.”
“You need to beat a defender when you have the ball. You need to be able to successfully pass to a team-mate, and there are other attributes needed to be the complete player.”
“I am a Spurs fan as well, don’t forget.”
“I was very fortunate to have a career like this. I wanted to put a lot back for the community.”
“Ancelotti has managed a lot of big clubs, and I think he would do well at Madrid because Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain are big clubs.”
“People know who Carlo Ancelotti is. He’s a man with a lot of experience.”
“You can do tactical games with a kid, and they don’t even know it’s tactical.”
“Loyalty? There’s no loyalty in football.”
“Everyone has an affection for the club where you played in your youth; that’s normal. But loyalty to it? Loyalty is staying at the club. Affection is different. The important thing is that when you’re there, you give it your all, respect the rules and respect the club, and try to be the best you can be. That’s fair enough.”
“I have found back at Spurs the pleasure of football.”
“Ronaldo is the best of the best, I mean not only as a football player but also as a human being. You can see how he developed and how devoted he is to really staying on top every year to excel. I think that is something unbelievable, and I said it before and will say it again: he is an athlete, and an athlete is a positive thing.”
“When you look at youth, they want to aspire to somebody. You can see that with him you have to work hard, and that’s what you bring if you have someone like Ronaldo who embodies hard work and determination.”
“If you are hoping for a Champions’ League final or winning a title, it’s the same. You are working for a result.”
“Everyone wants to play in the Champions’ League because that’s where it is all happening. That’s where you get the A-status for players. It’s very important for young players.”
“You don’t want to play one year in the Champions’ League and go out. You don’t then establish yourself as a big club.”
“It’s obviously important for the English national team if you have a lot of players playing big matches. You are more mature and know how to cope.”
“Football is more verbal in Holland, but there is a different approach in England.”
“I don’t think it is good if everyone says ‘yes’ when they mean ‘no.’”
“I don’t complain if I get a hard tackle.”
“I think everybody can say that Luis Suarez is a very good player. He’s scored so many goals in the Premier League, and he is definitely a quality player.”
“When big teams play each other, you automatically want to raise your game. You want to see what level you’re at, and you know you have to step up.”
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