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Saturday 19 January 2019, 11:51

The Week in Quotes

"South Africa has lost one of its great sons to ever represent the country on a football pitch. Phil was a true ambassador for the game, and he lived the values of being an ambassador." Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation Beauty Dlulane on the passing of Phil Masinga in a statement on the South Africa’s parliament’s official website

"Very sad news for South African football, we lost a true football legend in Phil "Chippa" Masinga. He paved the way for all South African footballers in the UK. That goal at Fnb stadium that took us to our first World Cup will always be on my mind. Legend." Former South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar pays tribute to Masinga on his Twitter page

"Cristiano scored many, many, many times against us and he broke my dreams many times - in Cardiff, in Madrid, in Turin. Before, the Champions League was a dream. Now it is a target because Cristiano is the best player in the world and we need him to make the last step." Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini tells BBC Sport that Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival in Turin makes them UEFA Champions League contenders

"This is my 20th season as a professional player and it has been 20 years since I signed my professional contract, so it feels like the right time to announce that I will retire at the end of the season. Having played in the Premier League and won every single trophy possible, I feel like I have achieved everything I set out to achieve. I will continue to work hard at Arsenal to hopefully win one more trophy this season and then I am looking forward to seeing what life holds for me off the pitch." Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech announces his plans to retire at the end of the 2018/19 season

"Winning. I can't stand to lose. Even at home, playing board games with the missus, the son, whatever, I can't lose against them. It's just the way I am. It just drives me to keep going and to become probably the best I can be in football." Belgium and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne talks with Sky Sports' Monday Night Football

"It is a very exciting move for Timothy. From what I have seen of his talent, he has everything to go and become one of the top attacking players in Europe. Timothy's father was one of the greatest strikers ever but he does not feel the pressure of having the name - I respect that. He just has confidence in his own ability and in his own game, which is how I was at his age." Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar tells Record Sport about team-mate Timothy Weah, who recently signed on loan with Celtic

"When I looked at the clock there were 13 minutes left. It was probably the longest 13 minutes of my career. Every second felt like a year. When that final whistle blew I just fell to the ground and thought ‘oh my god, we did it’." South Africa captain Janine van Wyk talks about her country's historic qualification to the FIFA Women's World Cup France 2019

France defender Wendie Renard speaks with The Players' Tribune about importance of the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup

"Two G.O.A.T.s you say? No way. There is only one G.O.A.T (Greatest Of All Time): Him, Lionel Messi!" Belgium and Chelsea forward Eden Hazard tells HLN who he thinks is the best footballer of all time

“He won the World Cup at 19, I was only 17. I teased him saying he had almost equalised. I think he can become the new Pele. Many people think I say that for a laugh, but no, it’s not a joke." Pele speaks about Kylian Mbappe with France Football

"De Ligt and [Frenkie] de Jong are special for various reasons. De Ligt is younger, 19, and plays in an important position, as a centre-back. He’s the Ajax captain and from their school. That is to say Barça’s school, because it means that he has a lot of technical quality and tactical nous. He will be the best centre-back in the world in two years." Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman tells Catalunya Radio that Matthijs de Ligt is destined to become the world's best centre-back in the near future

Australia midfielder Awer Mabil talks about the meaning behind his goal celebration at the AFC Asian Cup