"If anyone thinks that’s a comfortable experience for a coach, let me tell you something: that was horrendous for 45 minutes. I hated every single minute of that second half. I liked the first half ... I’m so relieved it’s over. It’s over, thank God! Is 2-2 a fair result? I don’t care where it is or it isn’t, it’s over." Emma Hayes (BT Sport)
"I’m holding [back] my tears. I suffered the loss of my grandfather, I would love him to keep watching [me] scoring goals,” he said. “I’m very touched because, like I told you, last year was very difficult. I miss him so much and these goals are for him, my kids, my whole family, my friends, everyone. I maintain patience, I keep grinding and thankfully things are coming around and hopefully, like I say, I just want to be a part of an unbelievable season and lift the trophy." Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez (ABC)
"When Serbia scored in the last minute I thought 'oh Christ Almighty, extra-time, no chance'. But Davie Marshall's save, and he didn't even know whether they had qualified or not, and everyone is jumping on top of him. And then the Ryan Christie interview. Christ, I was crying when I saw him crying. It was fantastic. You talk about a boost to the country - it was fantastic. I'm sure half the country would have watched that night. We will always remember Davie Marshall's reaction and Ryan Christie's interview. These are special moments which encapsulate exactly what it meant to everyone. Ryan Christie was crying for Scotland, for every Scottish fan. So it resonates because of the love Scotland has for football. It was amazing, really amazing." Sir Alex Ferguson (Scottish FA)
“I’m ashamed to say that I bit her in a friendly a few years ago. I hope that our paths cross at Tokyo 2020 and that she accepts my apology and we can swap shirts. I was a lot younger then. I got a bit on edge and I just don’t know what happened to me. I said to myself: ‘What have I done!’ I felt absolutely terrible and wanted to say sorry, but I couldn’t make myself understood." Carla Guerrero (FIFA.com)
"I think when you play with the best, your best comes out also. For me, playing with Paul, it’s playing with one of the best players in the world. So I think the best of me comes out and it’s helped me to have those kind of qualities." Bruno Fernandes on Paul Pogba (ManUtd.com)
“He was special as a kid. You saw it. The ball stuck to his foot. You couldn’t get it off him. They told us not to go in hard on him because he was little, but we couldn’t even if we wanted to. You couldn’t catch him. He had an innate talent." Gerard Pique on Lionel Messi (Movistar)
"The truth is I've always admired Brazilian players. Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Fenômeno, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos … my God, that talent! And I was just about to sign with one of the huge clubs from their homeland. The surprise came right away upon my arrival, which I remember to this day. It was a winter night when the plane landed. I was very anxious for my first contact with the supporters, and could already see myself taking photos and signing autographs at the arrivals lobby. Suddenly…. ¡No me lo puedo creer! I couldn't believe my eyes. Hundreds of colorados were at the airport to welcome me. Flags, fireworks, the drums from the Guarda Popular. And all that before a match day! (In just a few hours, Inter would host Santos at our place!). It was crazy the effort they put in to make me feel welcome since that first day in town. And that goes for all parts of the club – the board, the squad, the coaching staff, the management, the coffee lady, the security. On the other hand, that kind of big reception creates expectation and pressure, especially in an institution as great as Inter. In the years before my arrival, they had been champions of almost everything — even the Club World Cup! Playing against Barcelona, with Ronaldinho!" Andres Nicolás D'Alessandro (The Players' Tribune)
"A football player has 15 years, maybe 17 or 18 in some cases, in their career. It is a time in your life when you are at your physical best and you want to squeeze everything you can out of your career. Most of the players never win the Golden Boot. If you win it once it is a big achievement. If you win it twice it is a really big achievement, if you can win it a third time, there are not many players who have won it three times. Strikers have to be selfish. I have never met an unselfish striker. You can be the nicest person in the world but in the end you want to score goals and that means you do not see players in the same shirt. He [Salah] is just a natural goalscorer, he wants to score goals. That is something he has developed later in his career. That is what world-class players do [score season after season]. Knowing your own quality helps you get back on track quicker than others." Jurgen Klopp on Mohamed Salah (Sky Sports)
"I haven't really thought about what will happen in three or four years. But I want to play for at least another five years. Maybe longer if I can. At the moment I'm in Munich, playing in the best team in the world, having fun with my team-mates and feeling very good here. I want to play football at the top level for a longer period of time." Robert Lewandowski (GQ)
"Ronaldo and I are challenging each other to reach 100 goals with Juventus. I need only one, while he still needs three. He always wants to win, even in training, and if he loses he becomes difficult to deal with for a few minutes." Paulo Dybala (Ibai on Twitch)
