Edgar Davids Quotes

I learned a lot of things that made me be a better player and have more of a variety on the pitch.

When you play eleven a side, you might go through a game with very few touches, but with street football, you're always involved in the game, so it is a great way to improve your skill and to learn how to create and use space, as the pitch is very small.

Guardiola likes footballers who can pass the ball, who have eyes for the best position and the right runs.

I feel like I have built different aspects of my game, not just scoring goals.

It is up to me to adapt and to continue to surprise with my positioning, the timing of my runs, the trajectories, when I call for the ball.

You gain know-how from playing matches because every moment of a football match has its own rhythm.

A coach once told me there are four factors that determine a players' performance: his tactical awareness, his physical condition, his technical ability and his mental strength.

I don't think that players learn how to play any other aspect of the game in high school or college.

The way children are taught football doesn't encourage skill; the focus is on other areas.

Before I came to Barcelona, I only thought about one facet of the game: destroying. My qualities were completely defensive, and I wouldn't take responsibility for organising my team's game, our attacks.

I'm not someone who can do 10 stepovers or backheels - I'm not very interested in that. I'm more fascinated by the simplicity of play because the thing that makes this sport so beautiful.

It gives me a lot of confidence to play with my feet, and I have to be focused for 90 minutes.

I am not very tall but I am intelligent as a soccer player.

I like to control the ball and analyse the game.

For me, playing simply is dribbling. For me, playing one or two touches is harder. Playing simply is the most difficult thing.

I wasn't a natural defender. I was a striker as a kid. I have learned a lot but there is more to learn, of course.

I'm a versatile player, I'm a technical player, and I play with my head, but I can progress further.

If you want to play dominant football, you need to get the ball, think fast, and play quick combinations in small spaces.

Luis Suarez's always been a great role model for me. His style of play is sometimes like he's playing with his mates in the street.

I learned how to be a smart, tough, fundamentally sound football player.

Guardiola has helped me so when I receive the ball, I have space.

Circulation of the ball is important, but it's only useful if you can give it to someone who can make the difference.

It's not just about showing people what you can do on the ball in those wider positions, it's about gaining the full understanding of each position and what it takes to get that spot.

I remember being coached at Liverpool, and there was another kid called Toni Silva, and they said, 'You know, instead of blasting the ball, and it goes in, do like Toni does: pass it around the keeper.'

Dembele likes to take players on. He's a dribbler and a power player who likes to break into space; he has the ability to do this. He has a lot of virtues.