“It’s important that as many Asians as possible make it at the highest level. We’re role models for the next generation and they need to see football is for them. If you love doing something and want to make it your career, you should be able to do so, regardless of your background.” Swansea City midfielder Yan Dhanda talks about the importance of being a role model for aspiring Asian footballers, speaking in an interview with The Guardian

Orlando Pride defender Carson Pickett shares a beautiful moment with young fan Joseph Tidd after a 1-0 win over Sky Blue FC in the National Women's Soccer League

“He would hide throughout the hotel with some type of Halloween mask, and he thought it was so funny – he would hide underneath the snack table, under the tablecloth, and he would jump out and scream and scare guys.” Former forward Chris Rolfe describes for MLSsoccer.com the hijinks Cuauhtemoc Blanco brought to the Chicago Fire when the Mexico legend signed with the MLS outfit in 2007

“If anyone other than you lifts up that trophy they are getting f****** wrestled to the ground." Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson recalls what team-mate James Milner said to him before he went on to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy, in an interview with The Telegraph

"He has to get used to the game of the team, but you can see that when he gets the ball he is very dangerous. He is bad news for the opponents and we expect a lot from him, but this was just his first game." Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde was heartened by new charge Antoine Griezmann's pre-season debut despite his side's defeat to Chelsea

Zlatan Ibrahimovic analyses his memorable performance in LA Galaxy's 3-2 win over cross-town rivals LAFC, which included a hat-trick and a clash with an LAFC player

"He is the most talented player I have ever seen as a football player or manager. He has everything to become one of the best players, not just in England. His only problem is that sometimes his manager doesn’t put him in the starting XI." Pep Guardiola has coached the likes of Messi, Xavi, Ribery and Robben, but Phil Foden's talent is transcendent in the eyes of his manager

“In my opinion, Mesut Ozil or Toni Kroos have been and are wrongly criticised for unnecessarily delaying the game or slowing the tempo down. Who claims this has very little idea of the game. In my opinion they are perhaps the best footballers Germany has ever had." Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz speaks with the Rheinische Post about the two German national team players he admires most

Mesut Ozil lets fans know he and Arsenal team-mate Sead Kolasinac are all ok after footage of their car being attacked was circulated online

“It wouldn’t be ‘get your hair cut’ but ‘get rid of your tattoos, young man’. Everyone has a tattoo, thinking they’re different, but it means they’re all the same. ‘Oh, but my sleeve is different!’ – I reckon about five of our players don’t have one. Listen, I’m not anti-tattoo, I just don’t understand it. It is not the tattoos. It’s that you can start believing in these things more than the job. The car, the lifestyle, it becomes bigger than the job, it softens you and swerves you off the job, takes the edge away.” Burnley manager Sean Dyche breezes through a whole range of subjects, including tattoos, in The Guardian

"We can appreciate and see how the people love Sonny here in Asia. Of course, he's an icon. I compared him before to David Beckham in popularity. It doesn't surprise me but it's good to see how the people love him and how important he is for the people." Son Heungmin received a warm welcome from fans in Singapore during Tottenham's 3-2 pre-season win over Juventus, prompting this analogy from Mauricio Pochettino

Young British holidaymaker Mackenzie O'Neill had a trip he will never forget after getting to play football with the Messis, after Leo invited him to have a kickabout with sons Thiago and Mateo.