Saturday 15 May 2021, 11:11

The Week in Quotes

"I would go. It would be fun, but you must be realistic, very fit, and know you can contribute to the team. After all, the Oranje [the Dutch national team] is a step up. Going to EURO 2020 is somewhere in my wildest dreams, but you must be very careful because I can already see tomorrow's headlines. Right now I'm not saying I want to go, but if he [De Boer] should call, I'd say yes." Arjen Robben (ESPN)

"Fran’s clearly shown she is one of the best players in the world. Mine and her connection is just special. Everyone asks me if we train like it but it just comes naturally. She’s just a superstar. I can’t speak more highly of her." Sam Kerr on her Chelsea team-mate Fran Kirby

"He just shouts at us, that's all he does! He doesn't really try to coach us. He just makes sure we work hard (laughs). No, he's obviously tried and tested in the Premier League. He's a manager that's lasted 'x' amount of games - longest-serving manager - so he shows a bit there and the boys follow it." Chris Wood on Burnley manager Sean Dyche (Sky Sports)

"I think it's important to support women and women's professional athletes - not just in the United States, but all over the world. It was also important for me to support the D.C. community. I support everybody in this town. Me and my wife love to go watch a soccer game, watch football, and baseball. We all win. If I have this opportunity, I think it's very important for me to do it, because it also shows we care. It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman, you should be able to chase the same goals as a professional athlete." Alexander Ovechkin (ESPN)

“I am not Santa Claus, I am not here to announce surprises. I am fine-tuning it little by little. I have players who, like Bayern Munich's Corentin Tolisso, are still recovering, and I do not yet have all the information on their condition. I will announce my squad on May 18th, but there are matches after that. I will have players who will participate in the two European cup finals. Hopefully everything will turn out well, because unfortunately we cannot avoid the unexpected." Didier Deschamps (Kicker)

"I was still living in the favela with my parents at the time. Actually, I was taking a nap when they made the big squad announcement on TV. My mom came into the room yelling, “Adriano! Adriano! Son! You have been called up! My God!” I was snoring. Zzzzzzzzz. She said, “You’ve been called up! My God! My God!” I said, “Huh? Wha? Are you kidding me?” I got out of bed and saw my name on the TV. Come on, man. Be serious. I’m 18 years old. Living in the favela. How can you say that I was not touched by God? My story, it does not make any logical sense, even to me. Just a year later, I made my move to Inter Milan, and I had people calling me The Emperor. How can you explain that? The hand of God, I’m telling you." Adriano (The Players' Tribune)

Adriano of Brazil celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal

“If you see Jesse, I think Jesse, at the moment, if you watch the last 10 games, has been top, top, top level. For me, if you watch the last 10 games, he’s been the best player in the Premier League, scoring and assists in every game. Everyone here is really, really happy for him. He has confidence back, he has his swag back, because he is feeling confident. We are really, really happy for what he’s doing." Bruno Fernandes on Jesse Lingard (ManUtd.com)

“My future is clear and defined. This very beautiful and very long experience with Juve will come end in a definitive manner this year. Either I stop playing, or if I find a situation that gives me motivation to play or even motivation to have a different life experience, I will take it into consideration. I feel I gave everything for Juve. I have received everything, and more than this cannot be done. We have reached the end of a cycle and it’s right for one to remove the disturbance." Gianluigi Buffon (beIN Sports)

"I hope not [if their win over Germany will create a bit of fear for their future opponents] because it’s nice for us, and it works for us, to be in the position of underdogs. We enjoy showing people what North Macedonia is all about. I’ve always said that there’s a lot of talent in our region; all we have lacked is the money and the infrastructure that exists in countries like England. But now we have qualified, we have a great chance to build for the future." Ezgjan Alioski (FIFA.com)

"In a professional way I want to win the World Cup. That’s always been the biggest dream of my career. But also I want to win every title with PSG – the Champions League, the Coupe de France. I’m almost 30, and I have a good career, but on a personal level I want to have two more kids, to give my son, David, some brothers." Neymar (GQ)

“I’ll let you into a little secret: I’ve had a couple of conversations with him. Since I retired we have parked our rivalry up and he gave me time on the phone to bounce a few things off him, a few questions to do with the management up here at Rangers. He was fantastic in those conversations. At some point moving forward I’d love the chance to sit down with him and have a coffee. He’s agreed to that and that’s fantastic from his point of view because he doesn’t have to give me his time, especially being a rival. But I think that goes to show what type of man he is. He’s not just the iconic manager we all know." Steven Gerrard on Sir Alex Ferguson (The Guardian)

“This has been a season and a Premier League title like no other. This was the hardest one. We will always remember this season for the way that we won. I am so proud to be the manager here and of this group of players. They are so special. To come through this season – with all the restrictions and difficulties we’ve faced – and show the consistency we have is remarkable. It is relentless. Every single day, they are there, fighting for success, trying always to be better. They have been so, so resilient." Pep Guardiola (ManCity.com)

“I’ll talk to him [Cristiano] to bring him back. Next year he will play in Alvalade [Sporting’s stadium]." Dolores Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo's mother, from her balcony as she spoke to Sporting fans who had taken to the streets to celebrate their title

Juventus v Atalanta BC - Serie A

"I know that my career is slowly coming to an end and I never dreamed of such a highlight. I always said I wanted to end my career here with a trophy. Today we did it and I'm very proud.... I couldn't have imagined this in my wildest dreams." Lukasz Piszczek after winning the DFB-Pokal with Borussia Dortmund

Teammates throw Lukas Piszczek of Borussia Dortmund of Borussia Dortmund up in the air after winning the DFB Cup final match between RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund at Olympic Stadium