The Week in Quotes
"Yesterday I was walking around by the cows in my town, and now today I'm at the Ciutat Esportiva in Barcelona coaching the best players in the world." Quique Setien at his first official press conference as Barcelona head coach
Tigres goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman shows his support for the LGBTQ community
"The best is [Lionel] Messi. Messi is number 9, number 10, number 11, number 7, number 6, number 5, number 4. But Sergio [Aguero], [of] the rest, is absolutely one of them." Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on whether Sergio Aguero was the best striker he has ever coached
"It's true, I can't lie. But if I'm on vacation, I'm on vacation." Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard responds to Sport and Foot Magazine when asked if he was overweight when he came to Madrid last summer
Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne tweet their early excitement for UEFA EURO 2020
“How much it meant to the people? I thought I knew, but seeing it is completely different. You had 60-, 70-, 80-year-old men and women punching their chests, screaming, ‘I! LOVE! YOU!’ Life is all about having that kind of relationship.” Jurgen Klopp speaks with Sports Illustrated about last year's UEFA Champions League parade in Liverpool
"Girls today have role models. They can watch women play football on TV. Diversity and equality are on the agenda. Women are using their voices and their feet to break barriers all over the world. I would say that women have never been in a more empowered position, and I am proud to have been part of the generation that has made that happen." Eniola Aluko announces her retirement from football, writing a letter in The Players' Tribune
"It was a special duel, and it will remain forever because it lasted many years and it is not easy to maintain certain levels for a long time. Plus, the teams we played in were also very demanding, both Real Madrid and Barça, the two best in the world." Lionel Messi on the rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo when the pair were both playing in Spain, speaking with DAZN
"As we start to progress, and our sport becomes more popular and we start to become more successful, you have fashion designers wanting athletes who have become culturally significant. I think that fashion is a really good indication and case study for the progression of women's sports." Megan Rapinoe speaks with CNN Style about her passion for fashion
“I’ve had this talk with a lot of players. They say ‘yeah, but Messi is a better player’. Of course, everyone knows that! Even if Sadio comes and tells me that he’s better than Messi, I’d slap him in his face and tell him ‘shut up boy, sit down!’ But in 2019, in my perspective, he had a better season.” Demba Ba on Sadio Mane, speaking with The Independent
Achraf Hakimi and his mother speak after Achraf won the CAF African Youth Player of the Year at the CAF Awards 2019