Saturday 23 January 2016, 07:55

The Week in Quotes

“I don’t like looking at myself. Once I see myself on TV, no matter it being an interview , I just don’t like it because I see all the negative things. I don’t want to call myself a perfectionist because it sounds so stupid. But I find it very, very difficult to find the positive things in myself and I always see the negative things. It bugs me.” *Former USA international Earnie Stewart *"New York is really lively. It is full of energy in this city and I would like my team to reflect what New York is all about. So I will ask my players, I would want my team to be full of energy, to be lively and to develop a really positive attitude." New York City coach Patrick Vieira on looking to instil the qualities of the Big Apple into his new squad "There is a lot to come in 2016. I’ll decide what to do next after carnival. For now, I plan to travel the world to promote football but now is not the time to stop. I will play for a little longer." ***Ronaldinho on his decision to continue his playing days; that is, after a little rest and relaxation during carnival back in Brazil

  • “I’ve got to say that the last two years in Portland really left their mark on me. We had a fan base of between 14,000 and 17,000 supporters there, which I think is probably unique anywhere in the world. The city itself is fantastic. As I’ve already mentioned, I’m a pleasure-seeker and everything has to be perfect. It was incredibly impressive – where else can you play in front of a crowd like that?! It was the most professional club I’ve ever played for." *Recently-retired Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer **in conversation with FIFA.com on the supporters at National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) club Portland Thorns

  • “ some moments where you think ‘that’s not my place, I have to come back to Spain’. The weather, the language. There were difficult moments, but I fight. Juan Mata, the free-kick, probably was the point everything changed. I played better, better, better." *Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea** on adjusting to life in England, and his February 2012 save to preserve a 3-3 draw against Chelsea that indicated a turning point in his time at Old Trafford

  • "Pogba is the best youngster I have seen. We understood he was a great player from his first training session. He was skinny but his legs allowed him to be everywhere. Now he is bigger and stronger." *Former Juventus No10 Andrea Pirlo** on the current Juve midfielder

  • “It’s not the player who makes the team but the team who makes the player. I’m nothing more than a link in a chain." Uganda prodigy and 18-year-old captain Faruku Miya in an interview with FIFA.com “I think I would be pretty good because I am fit, I am quick, I can control the ball and I understand all of the play. Well, looking at how Van Gaal is, I don't think I would ever want to be coached by him so I think I will put that on pause until we get a new coach." *Jamaican sprinter and avid Manchester United supporter Usain Bolt “It was not only my job, but was the job done by everybody, the entire staff. The players have easily understood my tactics, but this is the biggest accomplishment of my career.” Haiti coach Patrice Neveuon navigating his side past Trinidad and Tobago to qualify for the 2016 Copa America Centenario “I’ll tell you something: in terms of natural skill and passion for football, Malawi is comparable to anywhere else in the world. I can’t believe what I’m seeing here. If we take such good care of the kids when they’re under 15 years old, it’s not too much to think of qualifying for the World Cup in the next decade or so." Malawi national team head coach Ernest Mtawali on the potential of Malawian football. Learn more about how football is developing in the country here “I talked to my mental coach, I said to him I like David Luiz but I also like John Terry and he said to me, ‘Okay, but you have to be Sviatchenko.’ I said of course I have to be Sviatchenko but I thought maybe I should be a defender that’s why I’m in the defence. So I said maybe I should be more like Terry because I saw David Luiz at the World Cup and he was terrible. So I find out that it’s better to be a good defender than a dribbling guy that cannot defend." New Celtic signing Erik Sviatchenkoon emulating John Terry, while not giving much praise for a certain Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil defender

  • “I like to play like Barcelona but that is not an option." *Fulham coach Slavisa Jokanovic** on the challenges he faces at Craven Cottage

  • “The financial component is one not typical of what we traditionally pay our players. We’ve been fortunate that a couple of sponsors have stepped up to absorb the cost associated with the signing-on. It’s a sexy figure.” *Krishna Ramachandra, *chairman of Tampines Rovers, on new signing Jermaine Pennant’s wages

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick was not impressed with some of the reaction coming from his harmless tweet about the common experience of missing a train

National League side Altrincham revealed the latest in pitch technology

New West Ham United signing Sam Byram reminds us how football can bring the family together