"Playing without fans is like going to the circus and not seeing clowns, it’s like going to the garden and not seeing flowers."

Cristiano Ronaldo [Record.pt]

“I think Cristiano will break that record (Ali Daei's international goalscoring record of 109 goals). He’ll have to be at the right club obviously. I was at a top club and played until I was 40, and I can see him going on and playing until he’s 40 as well. He looks after himself – he eats right, rests right and lives for the game – and is the best professional I ever played with.”

Ryan Giggs [PA]

"As someone who used to play for France, it was really emotional [when France won the World Cup for the first time in 1998]. Even in 2018, it felt like I was part of the team."

Former France great Marius Tresor [FIFA.com]

“At my age, only [Iker] Casillas and Raul have played more games than me and they're legends here. They won lots of trophies and I hope to be able to do the same."

Vinicius Jr. [Yellow and Green Football]

"Prior to that 1994 World Cup, I had no aspirations or dreams of being a professional soccer player in any way shape or form. But [the 2026 World Cup] will have even more of an impact because if you compare the interest of soccer in 1994 to the interest of soccer today in 2020, it's night and day. So by comparison, the impact will also be night and day and it could be even more important for the development of the sport in this country."

Oguchi Onyewu [Goal.com}

"To have two players like that on the same team is huge. Messi and Ronaldo were each in their own club. We have the two best players in the world after Messi and Ronaldo."

Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo [Canal+]

"Messi is like my son. He has stayed and so I'm happy. But the heart of this team needs more Barcelona-style players, players who are tiki-taka, not box to box."

Samuel Eto'o [Diario AS]

"I really enjoyed my time in France, but there were so many things that I missed and it's great to be back. I feel like I'm returning as a better leader and person, who is capable of bringing similar success to the table here in England – both domestically with City and internationally too."

Lucy Bronze [Daily Mail]

"I want to get the message out to the girls who are playing soccer with the boys that women can join the men's team and challenge themselves. It was very inspiring to hear the social message about gender inequality and other messages that Megan Rapinoe was trying to deliver during the [2019] World Cup. So I have been thinking about how I can do the same."

Yuki Nagasato joins men's club Hayabusa Eleven [Associated Press]

"It’s bumpy and there’s a wee hill in one corner, and one half is higher than the other. There are also sheep, horses and cows wandering about, often using the pitch as a toilet, so that means a fair bit of mess to be cleared up. You wouldn’t want to see the state it’s in at the moment. Plus, it’s right at the side of the water, open to all the elements, so it gets very windy and hard to play football on at times. You need to adapt the way you play – there’s no chance of any tiki-taka on it, that’s for sure!

Shaun MacKinnon, Eriskay FC's player-manager, on the team's FIFA Museum-featured pitch [FIFA.com]

"Sometimes I maybe partied too much, but it wasn't really like that. Yes, after winning matches I did like to celebrate... and since we always won that was a problem! But there is much more to the legend than the reality."

Ronaldo on his lifestyle at Real Madrid [Marca]

"Yeah, I think I’d be a rapper! I have to be honest, yes! [laughs]. Yeah, hopefully one day I will have a song at the top in Norway."

Erling Haaland on if he had pursued music if his football career hadn't taken off [SoccerBible]

"I"d love to have a conversation with him [Marcelo Bielsa] which would be nice, but my Spanish is not so good apart from ordering a beer!"

Jurgen Klopp [Sky Sports]