“To become a great player, you’ve got to show real dedication and commitment to football, and you’ve got to be very humble and hard-working. And, above all, you’ve got to fight to make your dreams come true.”
“Whoever says Real Madrid are dead is always proved wrong in the long term.”
“The team needs a leader to handle everything with rules and constant stability. Mourinho is the ideal man for that job, and we are delighted about it.”
“You have to learn from bad moments.”
“We have to keep calm and stick together; that’s the key to success.”
“Barcelona are not invincible.”
“It’s true that when I started out, I was more a fan of attacking players and one in particular: the Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima. Another of my idols was Claudio Caniggia, an Argentinian forward with long hair, who I liked a lot. It’s because of him that I started to grow my hair long!”
“There are no words to describe the Clasico. It is totally different and the most important game in the world.”
“Football is like that: there’s a new game every three days.”
“When we don’t win, we have to draw conclusions and assess our mistakes. Things can always be improved.”
“I’m a very temperamental person, but when you are wearing the captain’s armband for Real Madrid or the national team, it’s best to express yourself in a different way. You have to maintain a sense of unity – a good atmosphere where everyone feels happy is one of the keys to success, and that’s something you shouldn’t lose.”
“Flattery and criticism are always in our profession.”
“Disrespect is bad for the atmosphere around a team.”
“I keep my opinions to myself. I’ve always said that everyone is free to think what you like.”
“I am the captain of Madrid, and I will defend my team.”
“As long as there are chances, we have to fight to the end. That’s Madrid’s philosophy.”
“It takes many years to prove yourself the best in the world.”
“We have to take advantage of the power of football and show solidarity to people who are facing hard times. The fans give us so much love, and we have a responsibility to take that love and project it somewhere important, such as children who are in great need.”
“It is good to have competition.”
“We need the right attitude and the right motivation – that can decide the match above everything else.”
“When one loses, it’s easy to focus on the refereeing decisions.”
“Defending for a team as offensive as Real Madrid isn’t that easy.”
“I don’t care whether I play on the right or in the centre. All I want is for the coach to have faith in me.”
“It’s up to the coach to decide who is in the best shape to play each match.”
“I think Pique, apart from the odd personal remark, has never had a bad opinion about any of my teammates at Real Madrid, but obviously, when he attacks Real Madrid, our club, and our institution, it kind of tarnishes all of the rest of what he says.”
“Playing against great teams makes victory more valuable.”
“Football is to unite, not separate.”
“The good thing about playing at home is that the crowd makes you feel that, sooner or later, you can win the game. We feel it on the pitch.”
“Pique has been a great centre-back.”
“Being the captain is a great privilege and a responsibility to lead a great group with different cultures.”
“Madrid always opens its doors to great players.”
“It is a mistake to mix politics and sport.”
“Real Madrid go for everything right from the start of the season. They always fight for the three competitions.”
“We all know the demands at this club, but I’m ready for this responsibility to make sure every Madridista is happy.”
“Sometimes you lose; that is football.”
“At the end of the day, the players and the coach have to talk – that’s what consolidates the relationship.”
“We must thank our fans for their support.”
“Since Carlo Ancelotti has arrived, he had emphasised hard work and intensity, and now that is what Real Madrid are associated with. He has playing experience, which makes him different to other coaches.”
“At Real Madrid, we have many good players that the team can learn from.”
“In the end, individual titles are achieved with the help of all your team-mates.”
“I would love to win the Ballon d’Or, but honestly, I’m not even thinking about it.”
“I need to keep quiet and do my talking on the pitch.”
“There are sometimes easier games and others harder, but the Champions League always requires enormous concentration.”
“Mourinho is serious and demanding.”
“The margin for error in the Champions League is tiny.”
“I think Totti would’ve had no problem playing in another big club. He’s a born hitman, and great players always find a way to fit into a team.”
“When the list is made of the all-time best players, Totti will certainly be in there. I really believe he will be remembered as one of the greats.”
“I think about those who supported me and put up with me, including my wife, my children, my parents, and all Madridistas.”
“We must take on each match as best we can and try to recover from each as quickly as possible.”
“I always said that when Madrid win, it wasn’t just because of Ronaldo, Kaka, or another, and when you lose, it is not fair to blame the failures on these people alone.”
“I know the English fans will treat players as they deserve, and I’m not worried about that in the slightest.”
“You can never take Madrid for dead.”
“Bad things can happen even to the best players.”
“There is no bigger motivation than playing in a UEFA Champions League final.”
“Whenever we lose, it is a sad day.”
“We’ve had to handle defeat many times, and you can’t drawn any conclusions.”
“Every day, I wake up eager to learn new things, and I am grateful to Mourinho for that.”
“I am not someone who holds grudges, and I want to remember the good things about our time with Mourinho.”
“I think of myself as someone who gives everything, and I wake up every day wanting to keep growing.”
“I think of myself as a great player, but the fans have to decide whether that’s true.”
“The referees sometimes give for you, and others take it away.”
“What remains of the kid at Sevilla is the same dream of always wanting to win. I still have that today.”
“I wake up every day with a smile, and in that sense, I feel the same as I did when I arrived at Real Madrid in 2005.”
“I wake up every day with tremendous enthusiasm.”
“Sometimes officials should look at English football and let us play more. I like their system because, in Europe, their referees are more lenient.”
“When you win many titles, the rivals are full of antipathy towards you.”
“To fall in the Copa del Rey is a failure.”
“I like to have the best, and it’s clear Neymar is one of them.”
“We have never been anyone without the fans.”
“It doesn’t really bother us, the team that is in fashion or that is being talked about the most. Whatever praise or criticism we receive doesn’t really matter.”
“Throughout my career, I have faced the best forward players in the world – many of them who are considered among the greatest ever. For me, there is never a fear. A respect, yes, but never a fear.”
“Harry Kane, for example, is a really physical striker but also really skilful. He surprises lot of defenders, but he won’t surprise me.”
“We will respect all our opponents, as we always do.”
“I have achieved lots of things throughout my career that are very, very good, but if they rewarded me with a Ballon d’Or, that would be historical.”
“There is nothing more beautiful than being able to represent my country.”
“I have adapted and feel comfortable in the middle, but I am a world and European champion at right back.”
“If I have to play at center back, I’ll do it without any problems.”
“We all have our opinions; that’s only human.”
“I like football, and I like good players.”
“There are many penalties which referees don’t see. Sometimes they are right, and many other times, they are wrong. That is football.”
“The game is 90 minutes long, and there are many phases.”
“It’s typical at Real Madrid that we often seem to be going through a revolution.”
“You have to give the Ballon d’Or to the best player in the world at that time. Any differences between what the players are like as individuals should not affect who is chosen for a personal award.”
“When I win, it doesn’t occur to me to remember anybody who isn’t a loved one.”
“I’m not going to get into what you do when you win.”
“I respect the opinion of the fans because their love is important, but when the things don’t go well, they have to support the players because we all want the best for Madrid.”
“People single you out when they think you’re not giving your all. When they see you giving it all you have, they don’t get on your case.”
“I’ve played many matches against English clubs and the national team – and I always notice a difference in those games. When you play against the inventors of football, it adds more importance to the result, and you can see that demonstrated by the levels on the pitch.”
“To play and to win against England is big news around the world, and footballers are always grateful for that.”
“Harry Kane is a very complicated player to stop.”
“I just like to spend time with my family and friends, especially my children.”
“Music is a way of expressing my mood, and it definitely helps to motivate me before a game. It also helps me move on from past defeats or keeps my mind busy when I’m not playing, so music is definitely something that follows me every step of every day.”
“I’ve always loved Nike shoes, and I’m in a position where I like to collect them now, especially the limited-edition Jordan and Air Max pairs. My house is full of special releases.”
“Right-wing, pivot, centre-back, full-back, right, left. I’ve never felt uncomfortable anywhere.”
“You learn quickly at Madrid. Every lesson here is three elsewhere.”
“I like that defender-versus-striker battle, that challenge.”
“I don’t watch football debate shows on TV, hardly listen to the radio or read the papers.”
“Ignorance makes you very bold.”
“You cannot force somebody to be a different person.”
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