I guess, at a club, you feel supported. Sometimes, with the national team, it hasn’t always felt that way.
Every time the national team took to the field, we had the confetti shower and the ticker-tape thing.
I think I have had my story with France. Unfortunately, it’s not the story I would have liked. I would have liked to have played a World Cup; I would have liked to have done a lot more for the French national team.
I just want to do well with the national team.
It doesn’t matter to me, because in Europe I used to play for my national team… I was one of the best players and I start from the bench. For a European player, it means nothing. If I’m going to have the minutes, it doesn’t matter to me if I’m going to start.
To train a national team, you have to know what team you have at your disposal and what this team is capable of. You need to get the best out of them and take them as far as possible. Yet, sometimes, you can’t achieve your goals.
I would love to become the national team coach. I am aware that it is a tough job, but I spent 15 years with Italy. In my opinion, I have the right experience for this role and I know the environment very well too.
I’d give my life to be the national team coach.
Sure it’s a dream to coach Napoli as well as the national team.
It’s been a dream of mine to play for the U.S. national team.
I always watch the national team games and am a big fan.
You have an atmosphere at Tottenham like, ‘Okay, we are not scared of anyone,’ and we have the same feeling with the national team. Everywhere we go at Tottenham, we have a good feeling.
When I was with the national team, I couldn’t even touch my toes.
No one person is going to come in and change the world, or a national team.
If my soccer career were over, I would still come here because of the people. And despite the fact I’ve had to skip some school for National Team purposes, I am looking forward to holding that Carolina degree as soon as I can get my hands on it.
I want to play in Europe, as the national team is important for me.
We don’t sell a car, we sell a dream. We are Italy’s national team. There are many great soccer teams in our country, but there is only one Ferrari.
I try to dress well. Not just now at Chelsea, but all my career, at my clubs and the national team in Italy, I like to wear a nice suit on the touchline.
We should never have to do whatever Messi says. I did not pay attention to him, not even in the national team. But that is the myth that has been formed. But it is not just me: a lot of people have said it, but of course you won’t believe it from me… It is not me who is denying it. The facts deny it.
A national team is a reflection of its country’s football, and both Brazil and Argentina have earned respect for what they’ve achieved.
Thomas Muller deserves enormous respect. He’s hardly ever injured and has always been with the national team, where other players might have said they are tired, need a break or were injured. He has busted his butt for the national team.
It’s always a dream to play for the national team.
I saw James Rodriguez play for the Colombian national team. I saw him play for Real Madrid and for Bayern, too. For me he’s a fantastic player, a sensational player, intelligent, a player, who, if you let him play the way he likes, for sure, he’ll do a lot for the Premier League.
I’m very proud of all the career I’ve had with the national team.
Nobody has done more for me than my parents, who devoted untold amounts of time and money that allowed me to play the game I love. It’s no exaggeration to say I never would have gotten anywhere near a World Cup, an Olympics, or even the U.S. national team without them. I have never forgotten that, and I never will.
I have a profound respect for Juan Carlos Osorio. I think he did an amazing job with the Mexican national team.
I’m not saying I didn’t have ample time to recover, ample time to get to my best, I felt this year I did fine. When I stepped on the field for the national team, I was ready and able to make an impact, to score goals, to create chances.
The Brazilian national team will always be special in the career of every player. Only those who make it by here can imagine what it feels like to see your name in the squad.
Everyone wants to be in the national team so I will have to give it my best.
It had never been a decision to choose between the French national team or the Senegalese national team because I was growing up in France and playing in the French youth national team, so it was something really normal.
I wanted to play football or be a boxer, but my dad didn’t want that because of all the impact. But in 1992 I was watching short track, and it was obscure, but they looked like superheroes in their tight outfits, and I thought it was amazing. I wanted to do that. I made the national team at 14.
Ozil is a great player. He’s the brain of the German national team.
It’s no easy task to coach the national team. I never realised to what extent one becomes the property of the people.
It’s not always easy to come to the national team and be on the bench.
It doesn’t hurt to hear talk about the Spain national team.
I’ll admit I was curious about coaching a national team, but my experience with Greece was sufficient.
I’ve been the captain at Ajax and once for the national team – it’s nice and makes you an important player.
All Spanish players want to play for the national team.
I think what African football needs is better organization, better structure, and I think, after that, we’ll help the players to be more professional when they’re coming to play for their national team.
I wish my national team all the best.
I’m more than ready if the national team coach needs me.
I am coach of the Germany national team and there are not many jobs in the world which are better than this.
The whole kiss-and-tell thing is a negative approach that often happens in a World Cup. We will see negative stories about the players and it can affect their confidence and the overall performance of the national team on the pitch, let alone the bid to actually stage the competition.
With the national team, we have these fans, people love of us, people come up to us in our cities, and they’re like, ‘We love you – what are you doing in Seattle?’ And I’m like, ‘I live here, and I’ve played here for the last five years.’
I grew up wearing PUMA, and our national team is sponsored by PUMA, so those were always in the store. We couldn’t afford Nike or Jordan, so PUMA was our brand. If you were wearing PUMA, that’s dope.
The national team has always been a priority for me.
Some people say I don’t love the French national team. If that were the case, I would have said so directly to the coach, because I’m a big boy.
I was growing up in England and England was the only national team I knew, so I was actually very pleased to play at the national level.
I would like to play for the national team but it’s the coach’s decision and I have to respect it.
I enjoyed playing for the national team, the French national team, because I think France gave me a lot and gave my family a lot, so to wear the French national team shirt was really good, and I wore it with pride.
At one point, I asked myself whether I was having fun with the national team, or whether I was just out to convince critics.
It’s not easy to carry forward the national team because you have a whole country behind you. But I would be willing to take charge of the Argentina national team.
Just to be able to say that I’m from Miami, Florida, in the Winter Olympics was an honor, and I’m proud to be able to say that I’m playing on the U.S. national team for baseball from Miami as a Cuban-American.
I understand that it’s always difficult for a national team to have a foreign manager. It’s a nationalistic question that also flows into football.
The best goal I have scored for the national team would be during the 2002 World Cup against Portugal. It was my first World Cup and my first goal in the World Cup. It was like a dream, and that’s why it was so memorable.
Coaching the national team would be great.
Rampone and the other experienced players gave me plenty of support when I first came into the national team in 2013.
The horizon is a little bit blocked with Didier Deschamps as manager. I respect his choices, but the French national team doesn’t make me happy any more.
Being part of the Dutch national team is about unity and not about rivalry.
I came to England because I thought it would help me to get back in the Brazilian national team.
I have always said that to play for the national team is a pride and a great motivation.
To play at Stamford Bridge for Brazil would be great. To play for the national team is already special but to do it here would be a very special occasion.
In my hometown, people I didn’t even know started to recognize me: ‘Oh, you’re that kid that’s doing well over there in Europe and with the national team!’
When I was 18, I never expected to be what I was – you hope to make your debut, to play for the national team, and I want to achieve something similar off the pitch to what I did on the pitch.
I’m always trying to win my place back in the national team.
