"Out of nowhere, Peter Crouch drove straight at me at roughly 35 mph. He couldn’t brake! The only thing I could do was to jump in the air, and in the end I just managed to jump over Peter, and he crashed into cardboard boxes behind me. I was within a whisker of having my ankles torn to pieces, and would surely have missed the Champions League final. It was incredible that I saw him just in time and could jump over him! Crouchy’s face was as pale as death, he’d had some kind of blackout. Fortunately everything was all right." Former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyttells FourFourTwo that he almost missed the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final
"Look, that's never happened to me: A guy sleeping in the press conference! It's the first time...I must have been very boring! Good morning! How you doing?! That's very good! I don't think I have any more to say!" Barcelona head coach Luis Enriquesees the funny side of a journalist sleeping during his press conference
"My secret? I don't think I have one. It is important to keep dreaming. So playing at the World Cup is still my dream." Japan legend and 50-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura tells Reuters he has not given up on the dream of playing at another World Cup
"I get a lot of letters from girls who have been excluded from football because they're told it's a sport for boys, or girls who play in mixed teams who never receive a pass from the boys. But times are changing. Women are slowly reaching roles that were previously denied to them. And in fact, it's about time." Italy U-16 coach Patrizia Panicospeaks with the BBC about becoming the country's first woman to manage a male team
"If Messi were Chilean, he would have monuments all over the country and he would be tired of getting tributes. In Chile he is valued." Former Chile and Real Madrid forward Ivan Zamorano tells radio show** Super Deportivo that Lionel Messi is praised in his homeland
"From a very young age, he had an incredible goalscoring threat. Any footballer that is special at the highest level, has to be outstanding at something. At the age of 23, I always believed he had the possibility of becoming the best No9 in world football because he has absolutely everything. When you work with Rom, you understand he lives for the games. It's all about football in his life. He always wants to do more in training. Rom is the goalscoring threat. From the age of 21 to 23, he has changed a lot. He wants to improve, he works on hold-up play and using his body. He has been working on his movement in the box." Belgium coach Roberto Martineztells the Daily Mail he thinks forward Romelu Lukaku can be the best striker in the world
Houston Dynamo left-back DaMarcus Beasleycongratulates Carli Lloyd on scoring her first goal for Manchester City
"I'm thinking about my future, I've almost made my decision, but I'll wait for May or June. I will never become a coach, I don't like to be one against 30, players are so sly. I have three options for my future: to continue to play on the current pitches , to become a Roma executive or quit football to do something else. But I could also become an agent, I know football, a little bit..." Roma legend Francesco Tottitalks with L'Intervista about his future
"The way it ended today was like a film. We win 1-0 and I score the thing. I know I have a left foot that was probably gifted to me by God, or someone up there, and I can always rely on it. I am proud of these last 13 years." Germany forward Lukas Podolskitells the Associated Press about his fairytale farewell defeating England in a friendly playing in his last international match
"The feeling tonight is truly wonderful. This game is definitely going to be one of my most beautiful memories." China PR captain Zheng Zhitells Sina reporters about the significance of his side's 1-0 win over long-time nemesis Korea Republic in World Cup qualifying
"The only certainty that I can give is that there will not be another 1,000 games!" Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffonspeaks ahead of making his 1,000th appearance for the Azzurri
"If you are with us it is because we consider that your presence is important. We love you just the way you are. He has many good things and many to improve. We want him a little angry. Not a lot, but a little, yes, because he expresses this in his football as always. We love that part of Diego and we look for it." Spain coach Julen Lopeteguispeaks with the media about forward Diego Costa's qualities as a player
"It's true that Neymar really makes a difference. It doesn't matter if you have one or two players going at him, he makes a difference. He makes that at every game, in Barcelona also, never mind what tactic you use." Atletico Madrid and Uruguay defender Diego Godinspeaks with reporters about Neymar's performance in Brazil's 4-1 win in Montevideo in World Cup qualifying
"Everybody said that would end any hope of returning, but I’d stopped even dreaming about the Seleção. My last six months at Tottenham was lost time, and I was just happy to have the opportunity to play football again.” Brazil's hat-trick hero in a 4-1 win in Uruguay, Paulinhospeaks after his memorable World Cup qualifying performance
"I can’t even chase my son around my house. So, I don’t think so. Yeah, I’m done. I’m done. No more playing for me. I have not . But that is definitely the case." Former USA forward Landon Donovanconfirms his retirement from football, speaking with Yahoo Sports