Top 235 Footballer Quotes

Real Madrid is the most important thing that happened to me, both as a footballer and as a person.

When I was living on my own, for a footballer it’s easy to do the things that you’re not supposed to, or not what the sport science team says. For example, if there’s a packet of crisps, you’re going to eat them. The same with a packet of sweets. Go to bed at a certain time? You’re not going to if you’re on your own.

I want to be remembered as a great footballer and a great player. When our football days are over, that’s all we are – people.

My thoughts on Balotelli? He’s the kind of player who infuriates me. I was not born a footballer like him. I achieved what I did because of all the hard work I put in. I had to make sacrifices.

It was very hard for me as a kid to get through as a footballer in Uruguay.

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in the life of a footballer, and I guess that is true across most sports now.

Every footballer wants to play in big games, in front of full houses, live on the telly.

I am a professional footballer and as long as I’m able to make a contribution, I’ll be doing all I can to stay at the top.

I was born in Germany, grew up in Germany, and when I was becoming a professional footballer, I felt like a German.

I’m a role model as a footballer and not as a politician. I want to see myself as a footballer. People respect me for my performances. That’s why they support me, and I’m very thankful for that. But I’m not a politician.

Obviously, I did enjoy my football – it was just that I was missing out with friends. But they are the sacrifices that sometimes you have to make as a footballer, to make it.

I grew up desperate to be a professional footballer and I was willing to do anything to be one.

To play along alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, or Franck Ribery is an honour for any footballer.

As a footballer I know what I’m good at and I’ve now embraced it.

Of course I would have liked to have played at the World Cup, but I achieved so much in my career as a footballer that I can’t have any complaints.

People would say: ‘Look what he has on his face, look at his head. What is this scar? It’s so ugly.’ Wherever I went, people would look at me. And not because I was a good person or because my name is Franck or was a good footballer, but because of the scar.

It doesn’t change the way I am, but I do totally understand how you’re looked at as a footballer, especially by children. I don’t claim I can shape their lives, but there’s no harm in having good manners and being seen to play the game properly.

I was born a footballer. Before I could walk, I was chasing balls.

I’ve had injuries that have hampered my career but that is part and parcel of being a footballer. You just have to bounce back and remain focused.

I know, everywhere I go, I have the door open because I am a great footballer and a great person.

Every footballer has their own identity. A Uruguayan player is different to a Spanish player. A Portuguese player may be similar to a Spanish one, but not the same – and so on.

When I was about 12, I realised I wasn’t going to make it as a top footballer, but I won my first British ABA title at 13. From then on, I wanted to be a world champion.

As a footballer, you want to play every game.

Zidane told me that since Messi, he had never seen a left foot like mine. I was a little impressed, because Messi is a piece of a footballer.

When I was 10 years old, my teacher got us to imagine our future. I drew a timeline of the rest of my life. I had just started playing football, so I drew pictures of me as a professional footballer.

The message to the young players is that hard work and dedication is everything. As a footballer, or anything in life, if you’re dedicated you have to fight for that and don’t give up however hard it is.

I was inspired by players like Pepe or Sergio Ramos because they are defenders and by someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is an example for any footballer.

My father was a genius footballer, a natural, two-footed centre-forward who had played for Arsenal juniors, but he was sent out to work aged 14 and so lived out his life in a frustrated, rageful way.

Maybe some people look at me and just see a footballer, or a black footballer. But I am much more than this. I tell my best friends all the time, ‘If you look at me as a footballer, and not as Little Kouli, and not as your friend, then I have failed in life.’

In my day, I wasn’t the best footballer, but I was the best goalscorer for two or three years.

Having a stadium in France named after a footballer from the Ivory Coast, even if I’m proud of my France-Ivory Coast background, is a great proof of integration.

As a young footballer at United, Steve Bruce was one of the senior pros I really admired.

Being a footballer was about analysing performance, never being satisfied, seeing what lessons you can learn and who you can learn from.

Real are the best club in the world. Any footballer dreams about playing there, and I am no different.

As a footballer, I’m never satisfied with where I’m at.

If I had the choice I’d be a boxer or a footballer.

Even now, as a footballer I’ve experienced many types of racism. Whether that’s abuse on the field or from the crowd, it’s never easy to deal with, but social media is now the biggest platform for these cowards to share and target their hate.

When people hear a footballer speaking, they can think about it and maybe even reconsider the prejudices they have.

Being a manager is so different to being a footballer. It’s a very difficult job, but, of course, it’s very exciting as well.

If you’re a footballer there will be certain silly people in the world who try to set you down. But just focus on your football.

I had a very interesting and exciting life as a footballer, for which I am grateful.

Even as a footballer, I was always being creative.

A footballer can have even more problems than other people. Sometimes money and fame can become a problem, too.

But I was just a normal person really. You see, I didn’t get it in my head that I was just a professional footballer for Arsenal Football Club.

As a footballer, you always want to get better personally. And if you get better personally, you make the team better.

It’s unbelievable what the rewards are like with being a footballer, but I’m not stupid – I don’t go around flaunting it.

When you’re young, you don’t think about what you want to be. I was just playing football because I had fun and enjoyed it. When I reached 16, that’s when I was dreaming about becoming a footballer.

One of my biggest goals is to not be remembered as just a footballer.

For every footballer, to finish in the top ten of the Ballon d’Or is a dream.

There is no rule that says a footballer needs to be ‘this high’ and ‘this wide.’

My talent as a footballer was medium. But I had heart, a will to win, to work to overcome my limitations.

It is a fact for any footballer – you can be really happy, but if the club don’t want you, you have to accept it.

It’s impossible to imagine doing anything else because I always had in my head that I would be a footballer.

As a young Scottish footballer growing up – I always used to follow Scotland and watch the games – Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, and Joe Jordan were players I looked up to.

My dream was always to be a footballer and help my family.

I’m a footballer, not a pundit.

If a footballer is well motivated and has various things to motivate him every day, he will keep achieving his goals.

Bayern Munich made it possible for me to achieve the greatest wish of any footballer: Winning the Champions League.

I’m not just a footballer; I’m a top athlete, and we have to be at the top of our game.

As a footballer, you’re stuck in a uniform – either in team kit or a team suit. I don’t really get to show my personality in my job, so style is a chance to show people part of me they don’t often see.

I played semi-pro at Chalfont St. Peter but it’s so hard to become a pro footballer – I think there’s even more competition than acting.

At a club like City, there are things in the papers and talk all the time. Ever since I’ve been a footballer, I have coped with that.

I am a footballer. I know how to play football ,and I know how to manage projects in the area of football. This is what I want to limit myself to.

It’s never nice to sit on the bench. Everybody knows it is not what you want as a professional footballer but it’s about responding and coming back.

As a footballer, you have to be confident you can win all the time so it does not come as a surprise.

I’d call myself a street footballer, that’s where I learned my tricks, and through football I looked at the big players, I think it really helped me.

I see myself as the best footballer in the world. If you don’t believe you are the best, then you will never achieve all that you are capable of.

I’m a street footballer and you still get street footballers from Africa, South Africa and really poor parts of Europe.