Divock Origi Quotes

Ever since I was a young kid, I've been playing for an academy with scouts all over the world that are looking for top players to come in.

I was playing first-team football at Cardiff at 16.

Coaches from Celtic actually came to my door but I wasn't interested. I thought I'd get lost in the system. I wasn't ready for it.

I began my journey as a 16-year-old boy at the Arsenal's academy, trying to one day become a first team player, going out for evening runs in East Barnet with Jack Wilshere.

I was a million miles from being a Premier League player. You see some people, at 18 they are ready. At 21, I wasn't. Physically nowhere near.

I started doing sports when I was 13 and competitively doing sports - where I was actually training - when I was 17.

It took me 35 years of being involved at a decent level of football to become manager at a great club like Celtic.

I want to do what I can to give the next generation of athletes added advantages in the game.

I was a borderline guy in the NFL.

I must have made a good impression because a club official to us into his office and asked me if I would sign on for a year with a view to becoming a professional.

I had a great time in the NFL. To make it in the amount of time that I did was awesome; it's a dream come true, and hell, it gave me the opportunity to go wrestle.

You can't go to college and develop into an Olympics champion. It takes too much time, too much training.

When I was 18, I had a trial at Benfica, when Sven-Goran Eriksson was the manager. Then, at 21, I was working for a company loading vegetables onto trucks.

I started playing for a team called Cosmos in the Tandridge League before I went for a two-week trial with Palace. They must have liked what they saw.

When I was growing up Harlequins were interested in signing me because I was very fast and strong at an early age, but I wasn't interested in rugby at the time.

I was a promising keeper as a kid and, at 15 and 16, was on the books of Crewe Alexandra.

I knew there was no money in track and field unless you were unbelievable. So I stopped it when I was 13. I just really wanted to focus on soccer and with soccer training and high school, it would have been too much if I did track and field as well.

I played three years as a junior.

All I have ever wanted to do is be a professional footballer.

I really actually started when I was 10 years old, but before that, I loved to play with Father because he played as an ex-player. I just enjoyed it, so I started at 10 years old with Father to be a proper football player.

Sometimes guys peak early. They get drafted higher, and they make it to the NFL, and they don't have a lot of growth.

When I left Porto, I knew that I wanted to return to Real Madrid and play.

I first realised I was good at football when I started getting scouted by United, Liverpool, Everton; clubs like that had a lot of interest at an early age, and you kind of know then you're on the right path. I was about six years old and had to sign a contract at nine.

I have a lot to thank Italy for. It's the country that opened the door to professional football for me.

I've practically grown up with FC Bayern Munich since the age of 11. In my case, a talent scout noticed me when I was playing for a local youth team at Gern in Munich.