The Week in Quotes
“I respect Arsene and Sir Alex a lot for what they did for football, but the game has changed a lot. I think the first 15 years for these guys were like a holiday compared to what they had in the last 15 years of their job. The social media thing, I don’t read it, but it has influence from all sides and things that I don’t understand. I’m 50 and young in all things of life, but I’m too old for this. In 20 years’ time, then I am 70 and I can guarantee that I won’t be here. We shouldn’t draw this dark picture for all Liverpool fans that they have to deal with me for the next 20 years, let’s stay positive.” In an interview with the BBC, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp revealed he does not expect to be in charge of the English Premier League club in 20 years from now
“Uruguay have been doing a lot of good work at youth level for years now, which is why we were able to make the step up. When you move up to the senior team, you know your team-mates and you also know the way in which you have to work and behave. The more experienced players are very grounded too, which all helps you to settle in.” Uruguay's Luis Nandez of the harmony in La Celeste's squad heading into Russia 2018
"The Egyptian Football Association has hired specialists to help me and the players during the fasting month of Ramadan. We will organise and monitor their eating and sleeping and hope that this will not affect them badly. It may be a problem for the coaches because the players will stop eating from sunrise until sunset, so it will not be easy during training but that is to do with the religion and I can't prevent them from observing Ramadan. I respect Islam and all religions.” As part of their preparations for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™, Egypt coach Hector Cuper explained to a press conference how plans are being made for his players ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins in May
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne gives his humorous take on a typically challenging fixture in the English Premier League
"I think in football being 35 is labelled as old. For me, age is just a number. I always make sure to take care of my body on and off the pitch, and with my training regime I feel as fit as I have ever been. And for me I am more motivated than ever because there’s a lot of people out there that think that I’m too old, that I’m not going to be able to influence the game, that I’m not going to be able to do the things I used to do. I’m just waiting to defy those odds and to prove they are wrong again." Carli Lloyd, twice named the best women's player on the planet, tells
"We are all aware that if you want to become a champion, you must be champions. We've got the quality to beat every team in the world. And we'll try exactly that. Why should Liverpool not be on top in 2018? We want to win the Champions League. I am convinced we can do it for the first time since 2005." Liverpool and Senegal forward Sadio Mane believes the Reds have what it takes to win this season’s UEFA Champions League title in a conversation with the Liverpool Echo
"In a society where everyone is labelled, I've got more labels than a jam jar. But I try to remain focused on my path and not to get distracted by other people’s barriers. Everyone thought I was just going through a phase when I said I wanted to be a coach. My next challenge was to get the UEFA B License. It was a life-changing moment and a struggle. When you work towards achieving your dream, it can be a lonely place. I'm the only the person that looks like me doing this, so nobody else can imagine what it feels like to be in my shoes." Annie ZaidiAnnie ZaidiAnnie Zaidi of the challenges she has overcome to become the only female Muslim coach with a UEFA B coaching license
"[His call-up] is not just [because of] the two goals at Old Trafford. Even if it comes to his credit. He has played four or five seasons with more than 15 goals. He does not play every game, but he has the ability to score when he comes on. This is not the case with everyone. He has a different profile, he has mobility and liveliness. It is extremely effective." France coach Didier Deschamps tells Omnisport his reasons for calling up Sevilla’s Wissam Ben Yedder for upcoming friendlies against Colombia and Russia following the forward’s goalscoring efforts in the UEFA Champions League this week
“Of course, yes, I’m thinking about it. I’ve never played in one before so I’m already thinking about it. At the same time, I know that the most important thing at this time is my club. I’ve got so many objectives with my club that I’m thinking about the World Cup, but I can’t think about it every day because I’ve got PSG. But I admit that I’m looking forward to the World Cup and I’m impatient for it.” In a video interview with FourFourTwo, Kylian Mbappe revealed his anticipation of making World Cup debut in Russia this summer with France
Sevilla's Wissam Ben Yedder shares the seemingly psychic qualities of one fan, who predicted his UEFA Champions League goalscoring exploits against Manchester United the day before the Round of 16, second leg tie
"When you have the opportunity to make a great compliment to Messi, it is right. It is right to recognise a super, super, super top player. He is able to score 60 goals every season. I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to give him my compliment. We are talking about an extraordinary player - the best in the world.” Following defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Chelsea coach Antonio Conte heaped praise on Lionel Messi in a press conference after his two-goal performance for the Spanish giants on Wednesday
“We were winning 1-0 against Manchester United in the Champions League final when president Franz Beckenbauer went into the elevator at the Camp Nou. A minute later, when he got out of the lift and arrived down at pitchside, the scoreboard said 2-1 to United. He said to the security guy there: ‘What is this? Is it a joke? It was 1-0 to Bayern Munich. It’s a mistake.’ The security guy told him United had scored two goals. Franz said: ‘No, I don’t believe this. They didn’t score any goals.’ Soon he realised that, yes, Manchester United had scored two goals – in the one minute that he was in the elevator.” Speaking to FourFourTwo, former Germany captain Lothar Matthaus revealed one of the stories from the night Bayern Munich dramatically lost to Manchester United in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final
"Neymar's father said the primary concern is the athlete's health. It is the same thing all us think. Health comes first. You don't pay for winning like that - whether it's the World Cup, whether it's the Brazilian national team. Paying the price with someone's health or rushing someone's recovery, we don't do that." Brazil's coach Tite tells a press conference his take on star player Neymar's recovery from injury
"For years after [Egypt's World Cup appearance in 1990], Egypt had no luck qualifying for another World Cup. However, in recent years, my goal from Italy 1990 started being shown again. The goal was then talked about by Egyptians before every game the team played. I approached the story with a degree of humour, reminding everyone that I was still the one who had scored Egypt's last goal at a World Cup." Magdy Abdelghani of how he handled being the most recent scorer for his country at the global finals, almost 30 years ago
"Brazil 2014? That's the past, I cannot change that anymore. I am also not one to look so far into the future. Things can change every day, something can happen every day. If everything goes well and I show my performance, I think I have a good chance of playing [in Russia]." Marco Reus tells Goal of his World Cup hopes after his injury disappointment four years ago