The Week in Quotes
"I don't need to work if I don't want to do it for money, but I need it for my head to work. I don't know what it is but going pension, doing nothing which has nothing to do with football, I don't like that kind of life. I get nervous, restless—I don't know what to do. And that's bad. That's really bad because one day it will finish. I will hate that day. Football is part of my life. Football has become a huge drug in my life, so yeah, [I'm] addicted." Philippines head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson speaking with the BBC at the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019
"When I was younger I would watch these guys on TV and play with them on FIFA and now I'm meeting them in real life and playing alongside them, I was a little bit nervous. It is a great honour to play for this big club and to be on the pitch with the other players." New Bayern Munich signing Alphonso Davies speaks with the media at the club's January training camp in Doha
"This award is very big for me, I love it because I saw it when I was young and I always had a dream to win it one day. I’m proud to win it twice, I must thank my family and my teammates, and I dedicate this award to my country, Egypt." Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah speaks after receiving the CAF African Footballer of the Year award for the second year in a row
"I would like to dedicate this award to every female player in South Africa and all the girls who want to become champions." Houston Dash and South Africa forward Thembi Kgatlana speaks after winning the CAF African Women's Player of the Year
"[Neymar is] a simple guy, really playful. We've got close, he helped me a lot with Brazil. When I came to Barcelona, he called me to do dinner, to do something, to meet up. Online I play video games with him. We speak nearly every day. When he plays on my side, he wins, but when he's against me, he loses. [Messi is] a guy I admire and, in my opinion and many other people's, he's the best player in history. He gave me a lot of confidence, he helped me in training and in games. If the best player in the world praises you, I think that gives you some extra confidence. I am really grateful for his words and the attitude he has with me and everyone else in the dressing room." Arthur Melo speaks with Globoesporte about his relationships with Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi and Brazil team-mate Neymar
"I had some really tough moments when I was really down. I’m a guy who, mentally, I’m really strong, but for maybe the first time in my life, I cried about my career because I thought it was over. But now, coming back to the most competitive league in the world, with a team full of ambition with a manager that I know, and with a stadium like this. Man! It’s the best job in the world!" Samir Nasri speaks about signing for West Ham United in an interview on the club's official website
Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock dedicates his brace in the FA Cup third round to his mother
"I updated the contract for the 2019 season. Thanks to everyone who always supports. I am grateful to everyone. I will participate in many matches in one game, I will not waste it for one minute, one second. I think that I want to go face to face with football and go to daily training with maximum power." 51-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura extends his contract with Yokohama FC to play in his 34th season as a professional
"This was a big dream of mine, and I feel this was the right time to make this step. I’m excited to go be able to speak my first language on a day-to-day basis (laughing). Something as simple as that, you don’t notice it, but it’s nice at times." USA midfielder Christian Pulisic speaks with the New York Times about his decision to move to Chelsea in the English Premier League after the conclusion of the current season with Borussia Dortmund
France and PSG star Kylian Mbappe praises Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in a post on his Twitter account