Top 75 Eniola Aluko Quotes

I’m absolutely loving Turin’s old, historical-city vibe, with the narrow, cobbled streets.

I always try to talk to my younger teammates in the same way I would do with my older ones and you can see in their eyes how much showing them some respect means.

When I was a young girl I had to deal with people calling me weird and strange because I spent so much time around boys playing football.

Don’t read, click links or subscribe to any media organisations that peddle sinister untruths and stereotypes.

My mum’s an amazing woman, a huge part of my life. She’s very entrepreneurial, owns a very successful business. I take a lot of inspiration from that. That has as much impact on my sport as being athletic does.

If a young player feels comfortable in a team then they will flourish and be who they want to be. It’s less about patronising them and more about trusting them.

Most clubs say they will not tolerate any forms of discrimination – that cannot be something that is just said. It needs to be acted on.

I think public criticism of players can go one of two ways: either the players will want to raise a proverbial middle finger at their manager and prove them wrong, or the squad will go within themselves and performances will deteriorate.

From a young age in England I felt technical skills were coached out of me. I remember when I was 15 doing a rainbow flick over a player’s head in training and the coach telling me off and shouting: ‘This is not the Eni show.’ That discouraged me from expressing myself individually with the ball in that team again.

This is something that baffles me about managers: if you know the formation that you will revert to if you are in trouble, why not start with it?

I think the quicker we tell young girls who dream of playing professionally that they should believe in themselves, the more prepared they will be for the world of pro sport.

I’ve always been interested in law.

Off the pitch I’ve always believed it is healthy to switch off from football and have completely different interests too.

We can be tackled but referees are there to police dangerous challenges. Forwards are protected by the laws of the game and the way it’s played, while defenders and midfielders have to throw themselves about a bit more.

It can be difficult for players who are perceived to have turned their backs on England, as Wilfried Zaha has found out after deciding to play for Ivory Coast.

Champions league progression takes years.

I’ve been at Chelsea five years and been the butt of many jokes. And I give it back sometimes. That is the beauty of team spirit in a healthy dressing room. I’m not a sensitive, precious person.

You can always go to uni later on in life. There’s no set way. If you are at uni, work hard. Strive for your best.

Unfortunately for me, my England career has massively been soured. Even when I won my 100th cap, what people didn’t see was everything that happened before that – which was me in floods of tears – because of how I felt it was handled.

Sometimes it’s easier to chase a title than it is to lead.

I feel that sometimes managers think that, if they can come up with a tactic that leads to success in a major game, they can get all the plaudits.

As a quick, tricky player, I’ve been told that I don’t go down enough because I’ve always tried to stay on my feet or I don’t win clever fouls around the box. But when you are quick, the fastest way to be stopped is by being fouled so it happens to me a lot, even if I don’t always maximise the opportunity.

I think obviously the men’s game has a greater emphasis on physique and strength and speed. The women’s game can be quite skilful and tactical by comparison.

It is a certain type of guy who’s OK with having a girlfriend who is better at football than him. It is actually problematic. Some guys really can’t cope with it.

Juventus offered me the opportunity to sign in 2017 and I turned it down. I just didn’t feel the timing was right.

As a forward it is always a bit easier to avoid the kind of challenges that can cause impact injuries.

After you’re dating someone for a few weeks, you often don’t become exclusive until you give yourself more time to know what a relationship could be like in the future. You can’t get too excited too quickly.

I would say the most memorable thing that has ever happened to me has to be when I got my First class honours Law degree at my University graduation. All my family from all over the world were there when I collected my degree. I will never forget that day.

Thinking back to how it fell apart for Mourinho at Chelsea, I do have some sympathy for him. At most clubs it is the manager who determines the long-term stability of the players but at Chelsea it seems very much the other way round.

Many managers bring players they have previously worked with into a new club – but that doesn’t always mean they will continue to enjoy success together.

When you make a young player feel young, it doesn’t necessarily help them – they often want to be treated like everyone else. If you respect their talent, then that can give them the confidence to express themselves.

No one should feel comfortable venting racist abuse, whether from the stands or through media outlets. Just as fans must call out any fans they see hurling abuse, journalists must call out colleagues who perpetuate divisive rhetoric. Name and shame them.

My first experience playing for England was very scary and nerve wracking.

The fear for English players has always been that you might risk a place in the national team if you go abroad but now with all the technology we have, and social media, you are able to watch goals and assists every week, which means his performances are just as noticeable as anyone’s in the Premier League.

You are going to fail in sport, you are going to win sometimes, you are going to be criticised sometimes, you are going to be applauded – so it gives you… well, it’s certainly given me anyway, those real-life lessons that make you bulletproof.

When I score I go wild. Sometimes I put my arms out wide like the way Didier Drogba celebrates for Chelsea or sometimes I try to slide on the grass if the grass is wet enough.

Look, the reality is that people will pay more for a match when Wayne Rooney is playing than when I am playing. I will never expect to be paid the same as Wayne Rooney, because I am not Wayne Rooney. And there’s no getting around that.

I really liked English literature, a subject I did really well at.

All over the world people know Juventus as a club affiliated with legends and success and the project with the women’s side is very ambitious.

People have been very quick to judge young black players on their lifestyles and then when they go on to win the World Cup, to take league titles or score goals they’re all of a sudden changed men. They haven’t changed, people are just choosing to see them in a different way.

Italian sides will find it hard to attract the world’s top players while there is a salary cap.

With the big clubs embracing women’s football and the professionalism you see at the likes of Liverpool, Birmingham, Arsenal and my club Chelsea, it’s really impressive. We’re making great strides.

As I can testify, living in a foreign country takes you way out of your comfort zone. It’s the little things, like ordering food in a different language, buying petrol or learning to drive on the other side of the road, but they all add up to making you a more rounded, educated person.

It’s great being part of Juventus. As expected, there’s a real family feel to the club, alongside a big desire to win as often as possible.

An opportunity to play for your country is never senseless and especially when the games are competitive.

Maurizio Sarri is one of those managers who can get the best out of players who aren’t necessarily world class which he proved at Napoli.

I was obsessed with the character Atticus Finch. I really liked the idea of having a voice for the voiceless, getting someone justice against the odds. That really resonated with me.

When you look at some of the greatest people and players in the world they all stand for something outside their working lives.

Sometimes clubs take their ownership of a young player for granted and do not necessarily do the best thing for their development.

Eventually I will own my own company and will provide advice to athletes and artists from the entertainment industry.

Perception is a big thing in football and people need to be more careful about how they choose to perceive young players in the first instance.

There are a lot of football clubs that are fantastic football clubs but how they treat footballers is another story.

It is dangerous to sit on your laurels, but a lot of the time you only have to add one or two people to the fringes of a winning team to improve it.

Marta is one of my favourite players, and one of the best players I’ve had the privilege of coming up against, so I say this with the greatest respect: there are other players who were in a much stronger position to be named the best female player of 2018.

For all his tactical genius Guardiola is also a manager who can be patient and loyal, who backs players to come out of bad patches and hit golden patches.