"It was for Rooney, for the fans in that perspective of them showing appreciation for a player who was magnificent for their club. The season he joined Manchester United was the season I came to England for the first time so I was always close to it, everybody knows he's a player I wanted to buy. Finally, I have him and I have him in the club that he loves, the club where he had the best years of his career." Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on Wayne Rooney, speaking to MUTV, before the 30-year-old’s testimonial against Everton

"The contract? I'm calm, because I'm not thinking whether or not it will be my last year of the contract. These are conversations that I must have with my family, sooner or later I'll have to think about it, but not now. But it could also be the last season, so why not make it the most beautiful of my career? Now I have to forget about it. My goal is to have a great season. I do not think now about what I will do, a mature player must be in step with his physique and every decision we'll take will be taken with clear thought." 2006 FIFA World Cup winner Daniele de Rossi hinted this could be his final season with AS Roma during the Italian side’s tour of the United States

"I am a perfectionist and I want to play perfectly, but at the age of 40, this is impossible at both the club and the national team at the same time. Bernd Storck, coach of the national team, allowed me to choose whether I wanted to continue or not. I decided that there is no worthier farewell than a performance at the European Championships, which got Hungary into a football fever and caused massive happiness for the Hungarian people." Hungary goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, the country’s most capped player, announced his international retirement on his official website earlier this week

Manchester United’s Memphis Depay posted a throwback photo of Wayne Rooney ahead of his testimonial 

“I’ve always said the brotherhood at Leicester is unbelievable. Personally I feel I have a lot of unfinished business here. It wasn’t that big a decision, it was quite easy, this is where I wanted to be.” *Jamie Vardyreveals why he chose to stay at English Premier League champions Leicester City when speaking to Sky Sports*

"I think he is a fantastic player; he is really young and we have to take care of this but he has a lot of quality, a lot of potential. He is a good signing for us and I think he will help us to complete a fantastic squad." Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti praising UEFA EURO 2016’s Young Player of the Tournament Renato Sanches during a press conference

"He'll always be Cristiano. You're not going to see another Cristiano. He's been and he is an important player to Real Madrid. He'll stop some day like everybody but right now he's with us and he's good with us." *Zinedine Zidane on Cristiano Ronaldo being one of a kind, reports the Daily Mail*

"A lot of people wrote us off, didn’t give us a chance but you can see the character and the team spirit that we have here – not to go win 1-0, 2-0 but to go win 3-0 is an incredible achievement. I am delighted for everybody involved." Dundalk FC’s goalscoring hero David McMillan speaking to the club’s website after the Irish minnows reached the UEFA Champions League play-off

"I’ve been working with Belgian players and I’ve been intrigued by Belgian football, the talent of the Belgium players is there to be seen. I’m humbled, proud, honoured to be the head coach of Belgium as a country. It will be a special journey together, to support these players that have got the world at their feet." *Roberto Martinez speaking at his first press conference as manager of the Belgium national team*

"For me, Messi is better than Maradona and Pele." **Pope Francis believes Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the greatest-ever player, according to Goal.com

"We went out of the Coupe de France on penalties against Evian, and we had played really, really badly. I was very angry – so much so that I broke a door. I also kicked a box and it landed on Ibrahimovic’s head. He didn’t react." Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti in an interview with FourFourTwo

"It was fantastic to have the crowd behind us. They were chanting ‘Africa, Africa’ with every pass and attack we created. That certainly won’t be the case against Brazil, so we’ll enjoy the moment for as long as it lasts – but it was just incredible." South Africa’s Janine van Wyk praises the Brazilian fans’ support during the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Rio 2016

"Rafa Benitez called me and I nearly went there. I was interested in going but my English wasn’t good and I was struggling to communicate. Then Manchester United came. Fergie called me at my apartment and said: ‘I watched you play for Serbia against France – I want you here’. United were decisive. Everything was done very quickly, within two days." *Nemanja Vidic tells FourFourTwo he nearly signed for Liverpool before choosing Manchester United*

"The best goalkeeper I’ve come up against is Iker Casillas, he’s won everything you can in the game and is one of the best goalkeepers of all-time. The best defender is probably John Terry, he reads the game well, he is physical and very tough to play against. For midfield I’d say Xavi, he’s got everything, brilliant passing, vision, creativity and leadership. The best striker has to be Lionel Messi, in my opinion he’s the best player ever and I’m honoured to have shared a pitch with him." On his official website, Wayne Rooney shares the best players he has come up against

"I think all these managers are here because competition makes it really interesting. If you are three times in a row Spanish champions, three times in a row Bundesliga champions, then you think ok, let’s try something else. If you are looking for the biggest challenge, then you need to go to England. That’s the difference 100 per cent. It’s not like they wanted an easier job. They wanted this. Winning the title in England is the biggest challenge of them all." *Jurgen Klopp reveals to the Liverpool Echo why he thinks the English Premier League is the most competitive in Europe*

"I said many years ago the perfect partner for a striker is Wayne Rooney. He works not only for himself but for the striker and the whole team. I'm absolutely happy to be one of the guys beside him. I think he's had a fantastic career." *Zlatan Ibrahimovic told the Daily Mail he’s relishing linking up with his ‘perfect partner’ in attack, Wayne Rooney*

"I think winning the first Euro was the key. It gave all of us self-belief, self-esteem. The confidence that we had from that moment led us to win the World Cup and the Euro again. Looking back four years later, that's impressive what we achieved. To win two, three times in a row is unbelievable." *Xabi Alonso reflects on his time with the Spain national team in conversation with ESPN*

France star Paul Pogba shows of his great footwork during a kickboxing exercise