FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™

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Saturday 22 August 2020, 13:52

The Week in Quotes

"We need a different image than what we saw last week against Bayern Munich because that's not the Barcelona we want to see."_ Ronald Koeman

"I was just scrolling through my social media pages, following all the women’s teams and leagues, and I happened to follow Glasgow City and Laura [Montgomery, the club manager] sent me a direct message straight away asking if I was interested in coming over to Glasgow. I was looking for a team to play for abroad and they were looking for an experienced defender and the pieces of the puzzle just came together." Janine van Wyk [The Guardian]

"I have no clue [about Manchester], I’ve got a lot to learn. I have been told the football culture is amazing but I honestly do not know any more about the city. I’ll have a lot of exploring to do when I arrive, possibly with a new raincoat or two. I think I only have one at present, but I have been warned in advance about the weather." Rose Lavelle [The Guardian]

“I am just one person in his football journey - the one who gave him his professional debut because I saw something very special in him. You need people to take a chance on you and I was able to do that with Alphonso [Davies]. The way he’s progressing, for me he’s on his way to being one of the very best players in the world."

Carl Robinson [The World Game]

"I want to fully commit to my role as a coach and need 100 per cent of my time and focus for it. That's why I'm quitting as a football player. Our ambition and our hunger remains the same. I want to stay with the club for at least four seasons and prove that Anderlecht can play a modern style of football, with results."

Vincent Kompany

"I'll take a year off and ask myself if I miss football. If I say 'no', then that will be the end of coach Jurgen Klopp. If one day I am no longer a coach, there is one thing I will not miss: the brutal tension immediately before the game."

Jurgen Klopp [Sportbuzzer]

"My neighbours didn’t want me to play. They would shout out things like: ‘She’s going to end up pregnant! She’s not good enough! She’s a tomboy!' I just laughed. My focus was football, and their insults were fuel for me."

Formiga [The Telegraph]

"I say that to young kids: never stop believing in yourself, not even when people tell you that you cannot do this or this. It is the only way you can succeed in something, not just in sport, but in general. You have to believe in yourself, taking motivation from things people are saying. That helped me never to give up. I am a fighter in general and it never crossed my mind to give up because someone said something."

Luka Modric [Mail Online]

"There is an unconscious bias. There is a preference sometimes but we are still a minority, so we have to double our effort. We need to be creative and accept everyone. It's 2020 and we're still speaking about this. It's not acceptable but it's a reality."

Radhi Jaidi [Sky Sports]

"They're built like wardrobes and they hit you. I suffered a lot in the English league. I did not manage to adapt in six months. It has nothing to do with the Spanish league. I don't know how it could impact Leo [Messi], but being a player of another level I don't think he would suffer, but it's a very complicated league."

Gonzalo Higuain [Marca]

"I love Messi like he was my own son, I want the best for him. Barcelona is Messi, and I think if Messi decides to leave, we'll have to change the name of the club."

Samuel Eto'o [TyCSports]

"For the first time in my career soccer hasn’t come first. I have been nursing a nagging injury at the moment and it has allowed me to take my mind and body off my craft, which is a nice break for me. I know I will look back on this time and cherish these months I had to really stop, reflect and enjoy the pause of life."

Carli Lloyd [FIFA.com]

“I remember coming home from winning the '91 World Cup thinking the floodgates would open and that, as a team, we’d be celebrated and recognised. As it was, there were two people at the airport to welcome us back and, the more we heard, the more we realised that nobody knew or really cared. I didn’t think it would be as hard to get to where we are now. But when I look at the current team, I’m in awe of them – and proud of them too. They often say that they’ve stood on the shoulders of the players who went before them. But they’ve also grown the sport in their own right, in their own way, and it’s been incredible to watch."

Michelle Akers [FIFA.com]

"He's [Kylian Mbappe] the nearest thing we've seen to Ronaldo. In terms of impact on the world scene as a teenager, Michael Owen is on a level. He makes you feel like a kid again watching football. He makes you get goosebumps before he's even kicked a ball."

Rio Ferdinand [BT Sport]

"Lockdown was really tough, I’m not going to lie. I live alone so it was that much more difficult for me. You have to do everything possible to make sure you’re in good health so I didn’t go out, I was so scared because I didn’t want to catch the virus. So I stayed indoors for about four months. On our first day back I was able to go out, to get on the pitch, to train with the girls, to see different people. It was like my birthday on that day."

Asisat Oshoala [The Guardian]

"That was crazy! It didn’t feel real in many ways. I was thinking, ‘I was just playing this man [Cristiano Ronaldo] on FIFA but now this is real life, I’m playing against one of the greats’. He has a presence for sure."

Japhet Tanganga [talkSPORT]

"I see him [Joshua Kimmich] as a top right-back, left-back, centre-back, No.6, No.8, No.10... he has the qualities to be anything! I think he looks to me, very intelligent related to football, very intelligent, understands the moments of the games and understands the difference between positions and understands what he has to do here and what he has to do there. I think he’s phenomenal, an absolutely phenomenal player."

Jose Mourinho [DAZN]

"This [UEFA Europa League trophy] is for [Jose Antonio] Reyes, Antonio Puerta, and all of those who are no longer with us..."

Julen Lopetegui