Top 25 Quotes From Famed Footballers on The Beautiful Game
"The important thing about football - is that it is not just about football!"
Have you ever wondered where these famous football quotes had come from? From arrogant managers to footballing philosophy from the game's greatest mind, we take a look at 25 of our favourite footballing quotes and the iconic players behind them:
Top 25 Football Quotes
1. “The thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football.” - Terry Pratchett
2. “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I don't like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” - Bill Shankly
3. “[Football] has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words, it is war minus the shooting.” - George Orwell
4. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” - Pelé
5. "If God had wanted us to play football in the sky. He'd have put grass up there." - Brian Clough
6. "I fell in love with football as I would later fall in love with women: suddenly, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain it would bring." - Nick Hornby
7. "If you can't take criticism, you can't reach your potential." - Megan Rapinoe
8. "Behind every kick of the ball, there has to be a thought." - Dennis Bergkamp
9. "Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win." - Gary Lineker
10. “In football, everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team.” - Jean-Paul Sartre
11. "I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one." - Brian Clough
12. “Please do not call me arrogant because what I say is true. I’m a European champion. I’m not one out of the bottle, I think I’m a special one.” - José Mourinho
13. "Football is an art like dancing is an art - but only when it's well done does it become an art." - Arsene Wenger
14. "If you train badly, you play badly. If you work like a beast in training, you play the same way." - Pep Guardiola
15. “My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f*****g perch. And you can print that.” - Sir Alex Ferguson
16. "The challenge is to stay cool enough to handle the pressure in the moment so that you can succeed in the future." - Jurgen Klopp
17. “[Jermaine Defoe] is cocky and arrogant but show him a goal and he’s away, like a wind-up toy.” - Harry Redknapp
18. "That's great, tell him he's Pele and get him back on..." (referencing a concussed player who had memory loss) - John Lambie
19. "It's like a toaster, the ref's shirt pocket. Every time there's a tackle, up pops a yellow card." - Kevin Keegan
20. "They say Rome wasn't built in a day, but I wasn't on that particular job." - Brian Clough
21. “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” - Lionel Messi
22. "Everybody has a talent, but it's what you do with it that makes it great." - Alex Morgan
23. "For sportsmen or women who want to be champions, the mind can be as important, if not more important, than any other part of the body." - Gary Neville
24. “When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari. If you drive a Ferrari you put premium petrol in the tank, you hit the motorway and you step on the gas. Guardiola filled up with diesel and took a spin in the countryside. He should have bought a Fiat.” - Zlatan Ibrahimovic
25. “Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.” - Vince Lombardi
These sporting heroes have a lifetime of anecdotes to tell, making them some of the most sought after additions to events. Our football speakers have the charisma, popularity and knowledge to truly resonate with audiences, whether they are fans of the game or general attendees.
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