“I have a smile on my face because I am back on the pitch.”
“Just because I don’t smile a lot, people think, ‘Ah, yeah. He must have a bad attitude.’ But if you don’t know me, you don’t know me. That was the problem. My face is just serious!”
“I am the Crystal Palace DJ. I’m the guy who gets us going. I play the songs.”
“People think your life’s different because you’ve got money, you’ve got fame, so they don’t treat you the same.”
“My fitness has always been decent. I run constantly.”
“I prefer playing up front, really, because I feel like if I make the right run, or if I get the ball at the right time, I can just be one-on-one with the defender, and then if I manage to get past the centre-back, it’s one-on-one with the ‘keeper.”
“It stresses me out if I mess up.”
“Luckily, Palace have had love for me from the beginning. It is the team I could fall back on.”
“I’ve spoken with Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson, and they say the Premier League’s the place to be. It’s where I want to get to, and getting there with Palace would be nice.”
“Look at Romelu Lukaku. He has scored the most goals in the league, even though some doubted him. He has proved everyone wrong. I am trying to go down that path myself, proving every doubter wrong.”
“When I was at United, I had money, but I was still so down and depressed.”
“Fans give me abuse all the time. Nearly every team does that. If I wasn’t a good player, you wouldn’t feel like you need to boo me the whole game. So do that if it makes you feel better, but it does spur me on. It’s like, ‘You expect something from me; that’s why you’re doing this,’ so I don’t mind it. They can boo me all day long, really.”
“I have been at Palace for more than 10 years. I will always love the club, and I want to help get them back to the Premier League, particularly for the fans who have always been so good to me.”
“Sometimes, the easiest route is not the best route.”
“Yohan Cabaye. He’s a French player, and he dresses really well every day. There’s no effort. That’s how I like to dress.”
“Obviously, getting to United isn’t easy, so not being given a chance is hard to take.”
“Obviously, I have arguments with people on the pitch, with all the emotions.”
“If you watch me play, you’ll see how often I get kicked. I don’t go off the pitch and cut myself to act like I’ve been kicked.”
“At the pace I’m running, trying to get the ball, the slightest touch could trip me over. You don’t have to literally push me over. That’s what people don’t understand. But unless you’re able to run that fast, you’ll never understand.”
“Going through games, making silly mistakes, you’ll need the manager to tell each individual what they are doing wrong.”
“Obviously if somebody scores 17 goals, you’re not going to argue with him if he wants to take penalties.”
“I’m not really much of a fan of Drake. I don’t know why; I’m not really keen on it. His songs just make you think about your ex! I’m more about upbeat songs! His songs are more sad most of the time!”
“I’d never look at someone and think he’s better than me, unless it’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.”
“My mum says that, when I was a couple of months old and couldn’t even stand up yet, I’d try and kick a ball. She knew I’d be into football. Maybe I was just destined to do this.”
“One of my brothers, Serge, was at a couple of professional clubs on trial, including Palace when they had Ashley Cole on loan. He was a winger, though left-footed, and I learned a lot of my skills from him.”
“Play well, play regularly, and score goals. Nothing else.”
“There is nothing worse than not being involved. You are sitting there thinking, ‘What exactly am I? A footballer who is not playing football?’ You feel a bit worthless sitting in the stands, watching all the time.”
“The thing was, if I had a bad game, I was ‘the Man United reject.’ If I had a good game, it was ‘Man United star on loan.’ And I just thought, ‘I don’t need that anymore.’ One minute, I was hero; the next minute, I was zero. I just didn’t need it. I’d rather just play football.”
“You’ll see me just walk into the local Tesco. I don’t feel I need to hide myself because there’s no reason to. Okay, I play for Crystal Palace, but I’m still a normal human being.”
“I’ve lived in Croydon most of my life.”
“Me going to a big club when I was, like, 19 or 20, I didn’t know what to expect, how to behave, whatever. I was just a youngster who wanted to do tricks. I didn’t even care about end product, really.”
“I think in football, most of it is just mental.”
“Going to Manchester United, you’re expected to be the final product.”
“When I don’t play well, nobody needs to say anything to me. I beat myself up.”
“Not everyone can say they were signed by Sir Alex Ferguson and Man United.”
“I just come to training, work hard, go home, prepare for the game, then play.”
“I am a very ambitious person.”
“I feel like I am a good player.”
“I am a normal guy. I muck about; I play around with my nieces. The only thing is I need to be professional when I am out and conduct myself in a certain way. I still live a normal lifestyle.”
“One thing I wanted to do from when I was young was buy my parents a house. I have done that in Ivory Coast.”
“My dad used to take me to training in bangers, and we used to push the car. He would do whatever it would take, so I owe my family.”
“I am just trying to keep my performances consistent.”
“I give a tenth of my salary to charity every month, so in terms of giving back, I do my best.”
“Everyone goes on about Manchester United all the time, but they’re just another team in the final. I don’t see it as anything special.”
“I don’t have anything against United. Playing them won’t make me run any faster or try any harder.”
“Ivory Coast, even though I told them no at first, they still had the belief in me and still wanted me because they knew what I could do for the team.”
“With the way my career has gone, I’ve had ups and downs, and I’m thankful for going through what I’ve gone through because now I’m a stronger person.”
“I can deal with the media; I can deal with some of the criticism I get and still focus on what I need to do.”
“I just try to do what I can for the team.”
“I love it at Palace; the fans have got loads of love for me.”
“My only objective is to win.”
“It can be United or Aston Villa or Chelsea or whoever. I just want to win, and if I can score a goal against them, I’ll be buzzing.”
“If you play a lot of games, you’ll get your form back eventually.”
“Obviously, being at Wembley, that’s where everybody wants to play.”
“I’ve grafted to get here, so Manchester United is where I want to stay.”
“Everything cannot go right all the time.”
“Everyone at United made me really feel at home. They are decent lads at United – all of them.”
“I’m just playing my football, and I will just see what the future holds for me.”
“If Man United and Liverpool fans feel better by calling me a black monkey in my messages… feel free to carry on if it makes your day better.”
“As for me not playing for England, I’ve got no regret at all.”
“The Ivory Coast had been begging for ages. The country and the fans love me already, and I haven’t even done anything. I may not get the red carpet – it may not have the same Nike deals as when you play for England – but I’m going to be playing, I’m going to be loved, and that’s all I want. Nothing else.”
“I’m always happy to score, really, and obviously help the team.”
“Now I want to play with the Ivory Coast. It has been rewarding, firstly because I am proud to play for my country, then because the Ivorian selection has quality players and has always been a reservoir of talent.”
“I want to be able to give the best of myself to the team and contribute with my team-mates to winning more titles.”
“I am with Palace, and you can see on the pitch that all I think about is the team doing well.”
“To be honest, if you are not the manager’s cup of tea, you can’t do anything about it.”
“I am used to being a winger, but if a manager wants me to adapt to a new position, then I will have to – and I don’t mind.”
“At United, there are quality players, and if you get your chance, you have to take it.”
“Losing the ball is not going to help your team, so I am trying to change that.”
“I really want to make myself a better player.”
“Going to Cardiff was a really good experience for me. I managed to get quite a few games under my belt at Premier League level, which was good, and I feel like I’ve come back a better player.”
“I have lived in south London all my life, and my family is here.”
“I am a different player to the one that went to Man Utd. at 20. I am 25 now; I have played a lot more games, and I understand what I am better at and what I am not good at and what I need to improve on. The player that went to Man Utd. is totally different to now.”
“For me to be a better player, I need to play more games, and having a gaffer I know has great trust in me gives me the confidence I need to help me improve my game.”
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