The 66 most famous quotes about Football and Footballers
The opium of the people, modern warfare... Soccer is also a philosophical battlefield.
Surely the sport of soccer is the most influential activity in people's lives, where soccer stadiums are sacred temples that replace the Church itself on Sundays, and whose players are idols.and whose players are idols of the masses.
The figure of the soccer player or coach, if famous of course, lasts until eternity, with a level of idolatry worthy of the divine prophets or the gods of Ancient Greece. Sometimes hated, sometimes loved, footballers have also conjured up phrases that have remained for posterity.
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The most relevant phrases of soccer
In this article we offer you a variety of phrases that soccer personalities have left engraved in time.
1. I regret 99% of everything I did in my life, but the 1% that is soccer saves the rest (Maradona).
The Argentine star showed his love for the discipline that made him famous.
2. Scoring with a penalty is a very cowardly way to score (Pelé)
The Brazilian star had this opinion about scoring goals.
3. Scoring a goal is like making love (Di Stéfano)
Di Stéfano was part of the best Real Madrid FC, and his love for soccer was eternal.
4. If I hadn't done all those bad things, Pelé wouldn't even be second on the world list (Maradona)
Always controversial Maradona, he had a strong rivalry with another great like Pelé.
5. I made a mistake and I paid for it, but the ball doesn't stain (Maradona)
This soccer phrase dissociates the player from the profession, in this case because of the shady reputation Maradona achieved for his behavior off the field.
6. The more difficult, the greater the sensation of victory (Pelé)
The five-time world champion enjoyed the difficulty of his victories.
7. When the others went on a spree after training, I kept hitting the ball.
Discipline and commitment, the keys to success in soccer.
8. No player is as good as all of them together (Di Stéfano)
Without the team, a player can never succeed.
9. We played like never before and lost like always (Di Stéfano)
Sometimes soccer is unfair.
10. A game without goals is like a Sunday without sunshine (Di Stéfano)
Di Stéfano showed the boredom of a match with a 0-0 score.
11. Your hatred makes me unstoppable (Cristiano Ronaldo)
Some celebrities feed their ego and professionalism when they are hated and rejected.
12. You have to learn the trade to be the best, talent is not enough (Cristiano Ronaldo)
Talent is not everything, you have to train to improve and reach perfection.
13. I'd rather be a good person than the best player in the world (Messi)
Soccer players should be an example on and off the field.
For many it doesn't matter how, they only care about winning.
15. Soccer should always be a spectacle (Cruyff)
Johann Cruyff marked a before and after in the style of soccer.
16. Soccer is much more than a matter of life and death (Shankly)
It is not unreasonable to say that soccer is a religion for most people who follow it.
17. If you don't have luck and people to help you along the way, you'll never become the best (Zidane)
Individualism is never an option for success in sport.
18. I'd rather be a good example for children than a star (Zidane)
Like Messi, Zidane attached importance to his image off the field.
19. Cruyff was better than me, but I was a World Champion (Beckenbauer)
All stars believe they are the best in the world.
20. I don't like to lose at anything, I always try to win (Messi)
The competitive gene of the best in the world is embodied in this phrase.
21. If you score goals you are the greatest, if you don't, you are fat (Ronaldo Nazário)
The fans are so demanding that a small mistake can be the condemnation of a stellar player.
22. You can be as virtuous as you want, but you are nobody without your team (Zidane)
Zidane once again reclaims the role of the global team to be the best.
23. Soccer should always be played in an attractive way (Cruyff)
The Dutch star was an artist in soccer tactics.
24. What Zidane does with a ball, Maradona does with an orange (Platini)
This is how Michele Platini wanted to compare the two soccer greats.
25. I want to turn history upside down (Maldini)
International soccer figure, he became famous for his way of being and his love of discipline.
26. I was the top scorer in Europe, but I never won a World Cup (Eusebio)
For some players the competitions mark their qualitative criteria.
27. The speed of the head is more important than the speed of the legs (Xavi Hernández)
Soccer is not just about hitting the ball and running.
28. It is incredible how the passion of soccer unites so many people (Xavi Hernández).
It is the sport that has had the greatest global influence.
29. I'm probably ugly, but I have charm (Ronaldinho)
They said that he was the personified smile, that of Ronaldinho Gaúcho.
30. Thanks to soccer a miserable country can be very great (Milla)
Although some see it as a shady business, soccer always has a positive impact.
31. My best trophy is to have met Jesus (Rivaldo)
Brazilian players were known for their prayers and beliefs.
32. Not all blacks run and not all whites are rich (Thuram)
Lilian Thuram had a certain vindictive character, because he was a black player.
33. God was with us, but the referee was not (Stoichkov)
In this way the Bulgarian player wanted to denounce a bad management of the referee in a match.
34. Soccer is unforgiving. You have to be the best every day (Figo)
Maintaining competitiveness and discipline is what leads to success.
35. I play to be happy, not to win anything (Iniesta)
Andres Iniesta is one of those players who loves soccer as when he was a child.
36. If we lose we will be the best, if we win we will be eternal (Pep Guardiola).
Player and later coach of FC Barcelona, he played a crucial role in the club's best period.
37. Victories belong to everyone and defeats belong to only one: me (Mourinho)
José Mourinho was a "Special One", and phrases like this one corroborate it.
38. Success without honor is failure (Vicente del Bosque)
It is not worth everything to win. It must be done in a dignified manner.
39. A man with new ideas is a madman, until they succeed (Bielsa).
Novelty always generates fear and confusion, but if it succeeds, it is brilliant.
40. Soccer is not a game, it's magic (Beckham)
It is not for nothing that David Beckham was part of the "Los Galacticos" team.
41. All my heroes were soccer players (Ibrahimovic)
Some players dream 24 hours a day about soccer.
42. If you want to have a friend, buy a dog (Van Basten)
The Dutch star was exaggeratedly professional. His words subscribe to it.
43. There are only good players and bad players (Santiago Bernabéu)
Santiago Bernabéu did not understand any other classification, he had no gray areas.
44. Soccer is not perfect, but they insist that the referee be perfect (Del Piero)
Whenever a match is lost by a team, they always blame the referee.
45. Run like a black man to live like a white man (Eto'o)
Samuel Eto'o is among the most controversial soccer players in history.
46. I'm from Mostoles, not a galactico (Iker Casillas)
The Spanish goalkeeper has always been an example of humility.
47. I don't need the golden ball to know I'm the best (Ibrahimovic)
Every player has a different point of view.
48. Soccer teams are a way of being (Platini)
They are a culture, a sign of identity for many, regardless of their nationality.
49. Soccer is the only love that never disappoints (Deco)
The former FC Barcelona player expressed his passion for soccer in this way.
50. To treat the ball well is to treat the fans well (Valdano).
Many were those who gave a lot of importance to the way the ball was played.
51. It doesn't matter how much you run, only where you run to and why (Zeman)
Soccer requires intelligence and precision, not just strength.
52. I touched Messi to make sure he is a human being (Buffon)
This is how the Italian goalkeeper praised the figure of the Argentinean star.
53. Ronaldinho is the joy of soccer in person (Roberto Carlos)
He is probably the only player in the world who was loved by everyone.
54. If a footballer thinks he is above the coach: farewell (Ferguson)
Discipline and hierarchy in this soccer phrase.
55. There are useful players, not indispensable (Lippi)
It seems that even in soccer, sometimes so individualistic, nobody is indispensable.
56. The press is always negative, never positive (Van Gaal)
One of the great phrases of soccer at the end of the 20th century.
57. The team is like an army, you have to give it your all to win (Van Gaal).
The Dutch coach was always a spectacle in the press conferences.
58. Soccer is a simple sport in which some people like to talk. I like to win (Capello)
Fabio Capello, player and then coach, always talked on the pitch.
59. Leo Messi is a video game player, he does what he wants with the ball (Wenger)
Another of the greatest coaches of all time described Lionel Messi with this phrase.
60. You have to win with spectacular soccer (Ancelotti)
This soccer phrase was also said by a very successful coach.
61. You have to be self-critical to keep winning (Bielsa)
Self-criticism is the key to success.
62. Something allows me to withstand the blows and keep fighting (Messi)
It has always been said of Lionel Messi that he is an extraterrestrial.
63. Soccer is constant evolution (Frank de Boer)
As in the business world, soccer renews itself in order not to die.
64. Spain always knew how to play, not compete (Luís Aragonés)
Idol and coach of the Spanish national team, this is how he explained its failures.
65. Curiosity always resides in the ball (Mágico González)
For some, the ball is the most precious element in soccer.
66. Puskas handled the ball better with his left leg than I did with my hand (Di Stéfano)
A great player praising another great player as a sign of admiration.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)