Saturday 28 December 2019, 12:17

The Week in Quotes

"We are exhausted from a very intense game but in moments like this, I struggle to find the right words to express my respect for the boys." Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on their FIFA Club World Cup triumph, speaking with ESPNFC

"Wearing the badge of world champions for the next year will be amazing.” Roberto Firmino reflects on the achievement with FIFA.com

"Right now, I'm not interested in becoming a coach, but maybe one day I will be bored and I will feel like it. Never say never. If I became a coach, I would be a motivator, the coach must pass on his passion and talent to the team. For example, I like to have fun, dribble, shoot, score goals, I should pass this on to the team, as a motivator." Cristiano Ronaldo reveals what kind of manager he would be in an interview with DAZN

"We are talking about a player we may never see again, or like there is only every 40 years. We must take advantage of it, whether we are his team-mates, fans in the stands or his coaches. What he can do with the ball is incredible and it’s a sight to see him play and play alongside him." Antoine Griezmann speaks with UEFA.com about team-mate Lionel Messi

"Though I wouldn’t compare them as players to the men, it could be something like the Messi v Ronaldo battle while they were at Barcelona and Real Madrid: two outstanding players at rival clubs, pushing each other to ever greater levels of performance and achievement." Eniola Aluko writes about the arrival of Sam Kerr to Chelsea in her Guardian column, noting the Australian's match-up with Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema

"It was one of those wonderful individual efforts that will live long in the memory and get lots of airings on TV." Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson reacts to Jordan Ayew's winning goal in his side's 2-1 win over West Ham on Boxing Day

"Manchester United occupies a special place in my heart. But watching United play now, it's a bit like making love as an old man. You try as hard as you can, but at the end of the day, everyone is a bit disappointed. When I say things, sorry, about making love as an old man, I'm not speaking about me. It was just a metaphor." Eric Cantona on Manchester United's current form, speaking with Otro

“Ruud (van Nistelrooy) challenged me to a game. He played a bit of tennis but didn’t know I wasn’t a beginner. There was an atmosphere with the manager and the directors watching. Sir Alex said that he knew I’d played before and put money on me. I won the match and Sir Alex said that he won his money too.” Diego Forlan tells The Athletic a story about United's pre-season tour of the USA in 2003

Trent Alexander-Arnold after scoring in Liverpool's English Premier League victory against Leicester City

Marcus Rashford on reaching the lofty jumping heights of Cristiano Ronaldo after finding the net in Manchester United's English Premier League fixture with Newcastle United