"I've absolutely loved my time commentating for BBC Sport. I've been fortunate enough to witness some of the biggest moments in football history mere yards away from the action, so I've really been very lucky." ​Legendary football broadcaster John Motson announces his retirement at the end of the season from the British Broadcasting Corportation after spending 50 years at the company, where he covered the FIFA World Cup™ ten times!

"It’s really incredible to be compared to a player like ‘King Pele’, who is the King of Football. But what I must think about is working hard and following my own pathway and not thinking about people who compare you to other players." *Kylian Mbappe speaks to the Telegraph about a comparison Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made about him before he decided to ultimately sign with Paris Saint-Germain*

"As a team, we did not do badly at all. At that time, no one was happy because England must win the World Cup - but after 2006, what has England been doing? In 2004 and 2006, Tord and I and the coaching staff were looking around and we couldn't see many teams we thought were better than us, so we thought we had a chance. Personally, I thought 2006 in Germany - we could have won it and maybe we should have. I think we were unlucky with the sending off of Rooney. We played one hour with ten against 11 - that's not easy at that level. No, I don’t get fed up of it. But during my time there, when they more or less played together every game, I think we lost one qualifier in 5.5 years. At the big tournaments, we lost twice on penalties and once against Brazil. I think they did well." Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson looks back on his time in charge of the Three Lions in an interview with Mirror Sport

"I always watched Xabi Alonso in recent years. I would have liked to have played with him and would have learned a lot from him. I could have gotten a lot from Alonso: his vision, clarity, his calmness. And his shot on goal. He always packed a punch." Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Sebastian Rudy talks with the official Bundesliga website about his admiration for former Bayern and Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso

"Yes. I understand if we continue working hard and improving something, that we have the . I truly believe sometime before I die. I hope so, because I'm going to be one of the most satisfied and glad people on the earth watching that." Former Mexico midfielder Gerardo Torrado tells FourFourTwo USA that he believes El Tri will win a World Cup in his lifetime

“As everyone knows, the final of the Women’s Champions League was between two French teams, which tells you a lot. There are some very good players and teams around. I’ve been taken aback by the sheer commitment and professionalism of all the players at Olympique Marseille.” Olympique Marseille and Mexico midfielder Cristina Ferral spoke to FIFA.com about the high standard of women's football in France

"We went to a tournament in Villarreal with Madrid and we were in the same hotel as Barça. I had a good relationship with some of the players from the national teams: Pique, Marc Valiente, Cesc... I saw Pique in the hotel. At that time, we always used to beat them. But Pique told me: 'This year, we will beat you'. I said no f way. 'Yes,' he said, 'because we have a new player who is brilliant.' I asked him who and he pointed by the swimming pool. I saw a small kid, really small. He was sat on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water, lost in his own world, thinking about other things. Pique's a prankster, always has been, and I thought he was winding me up. In fact, I thought: He's winding me up and messing with his own team-mate. That was the first time I saw Messi." *Ahead of this weekend's Catalan derby, Espanyol midfielder Esteban Granero *tells El Pais about the first time he saw Barcelona star Lionel Messi

"We travelled to the ground on the team coach and stopped outside our stadium for a goat to be sacrificed before the game. It was just the staff and players around. I felt like the goat looked at me just before and as I’d said at the time, via my blog, it was the point in time when I realised that I was most definitely an animal lover. I know I’m being dramatic but I’ve seen a lot from the seat of a coach during the years, but this was certainly new." Former England forward Darius Vassell shares an extract from his new book with The Guardian, about his time in Turkey playing for Ankaragucu**

"I do have one final mission. At the 2018 World Cup, Brazil is coming back. Write it down. Put a stamp on it. Mail it to yourself. With Tite as our manager, I truly believe we can bring the Brazilian flag back to the highest level." Brazil left-back Marcelo writes in The Players' Tribune about his hopes for his country at Russia 2018

"I’d take the right foot of Cristiano Ronaldo, the left foot of Diego Armando Maradona, the vision of Messi, the technique of Zidane. And I’d take the shot of Totti." In a video for UEFA, Francesco Totti creates his perfect No10 by selecting various attributes from several players

"This season, they will see him give everything for the club - that is the sort of player he is. Also no player is going to refuse to play when it’s the World Cup at the end of the season. The Liverpool fans have nothing to worry about - I do not believe any of the stories about him refusing to play for the club. I know him, that is not his way. He made it clear that he wanted to join Barcelona this summer - he will be disappointed, as it is a dream for players to want to play for Barcelona - but I am sure he will still get that chance. They made it clear how much they wanted him and I am sure that they will come back for him." *Ronaldinho shares insight on Brazil and Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho with the Daily Mirror and says he thinks his former club Barcelona will sign the player in the future*

"He will dominate the attack for Germany for the next ten years. It is likely he will do the same in Europe, if he continues like that. He is level-headed and does a fantastic job. We need someone like Timo in such a form if we want to be world champions." Germany forward Mario Gomez talks about the potential and importance of 21-year-old striker Timo Werner to Die Mannschaft, in an interview with the Daily Mail

*Kylian Mbappe speaks with Paris Saint-Germain after completing his move to the club from Monaco*