Saturday 18 July 2020, 09:43

The Week in Quotes

"The fight against racism is not a fight for black people – it is everybody’s fight. We have to fight it every day. No one is born a racist, somehow they learn to be racist. We have to fight when they are kids. We have to fight every day and every time. Black people follow (footballers) in this fight. We have a voice, a loud voice, we have to scream to the people about that. I was very glad to participate in the (FIFA Legends) campaign against racism because I suffered in the past too. We have to continue to fight and as former football players with a big audience on social media we have to continue to fight every day."

Ronaldo [World Football Summit]

"For the last four years, when I’ve been interviewed, I’ve always said, this is the time, things are changing, I can feel it. And now I think: who knows? Who knows how this is going to affect our sport, all sports, men’s and women’s, women’s sports, women’s soccer. I honestly don’t know about the larger effects of COVID. But what I do know is that the world really cares right now about resetting, and not going back to status quo culture, and not going back to structures that have inhibited certain groups of people from succeeding. I know that, if anyone was made for a long, hard fight towards social equality, it’s the U.S. women’s national team. So I am very hopeful. I’m hopeful for a brighter and better future, and a shared commitment from humanity in response to this to build a better world inside and outside of sport."

Christen Press [The Athletic]

"The only person that can hit me up on WhatsApp this time is Klopp so we can celebrate together!"

Adebayo Akinfenwa [Sky Sports]

"Xavi will be Barcelona coach sooner or later."

Josep Maria Bartomeu [TV3]

"In lockdown people were experiencing what I have for years: just getting up and thinking ‘what am I going to do today?’ I only plan the next week: just do the next loving thing. Hopefully people have had periods of reflection. I have to do a daily programme of meditation as part of my recovery, reflecting every morning and evening. Lockdown has given people time to reflect on their own wellbeing and consciousness. If they don’t continue that ritual though, my instinct is they will just go back to how they were."

Tony Adams [The Guardian]

"Oh I play scrabble with N'Golo Kante. That's it."

Olivier Giroud [Sky Sports]

"Most people told me I was crazy to take the Iceland job. They said that things could only get worse! But although it will be hard to match what this team did at EURO 2016, then finishing ahead of Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey in such a tough World Cup qualifying group, I saw the challenge and was excited by it. I thought, ‘We can do this’."

Erik Hamren [FIFA.com]

"Lauren James is the most talented footballer I’ve played with since Kelly Smith. She really is a generational player and has the world at her feet."

Siobhan Chamberlain

“Cristiano – more in the first years of his career he was one of the most skilful players in the world. I think he changed his game a little bit, but he’s still a player who is really difficult one against one to defend against. For me, for everyone I have played with and against, I think he is the most skilful player I have ever seen.”

Bruno Fernandes [BT Sport]

"The decision matured in me for a long time. The depths became deeper and the highlights less and less. I don't need the applause anymore."

Andre Schurrle [Der Spiegel]

"Everything Zidane touches turns into gold. We believe in him and in his work. He's the one who has to make the difference, he's a person who trusts players, and few do. We hope he stays here for a very long time, he is unique."

Sergio Ramos [La Liga]