Arjen Robben Quotes

I have a Ph.D. in philosophy and sports science. At 14, I went through this really tough Soviet training system. A lot of my roommates got psychologically broken or physically injured. Either you came through, or you were out. I made my Ph.D. work in the field of young athletes aged 14-19 because at this age any human is changing.

I give everything I have every time I take the ball. With that, I also know that there will always be a risk of injury when playing this game that I love.

The N.B.A. is not an easy job. As you get older, you play this game for 82 games a year, and you play 11 or 12 years, your body tends to break down.

You have to remember that coaching wasn't sophisticated back then - you didn't have the camps, clinics and all the technical advances that are available today - so from that standpoint, playing with a cast on my arm was a fortunate event in my life.

Athletic ability can be taken away like that. It can all end in a heartbeat.

The thing about the NBA, any pro sport, is, guys don't know how to take care of their body.

The thing with NBA teams, a lot of times they just want to get you back on the floor to play, so as a player you've got to be very, very smart.

I played all kinds of sports when I was young: tennis, handball, basketball, some soccer. I focused on basketball when I was 16 or 17 and then came to the U.S. when I was 20.

Obviously we've got a lot of science behind football these days and we've got a lot of people that can advise us on how best to look after our bodies.

I study this sport.

I was drafted by the New Orleans Saints and was tired of dealing with injuries. I just got tired of playing football, if you want to know the truth, and I was sitting on the floor at my father in-law's house and started to watch pro wrestling. I've watched it for a little bit before, so I thought to myself, 'You know what? I can do that!'

I was a hockey player. I played hockey forever. That was my life and my job until I got injured, so I get sports, and I get the sports atmosphere, the feeling around other athletes, but I never played football.

Most of the players can get injured, small ones and big ones. But when you get the small ones, you have to fight against them and play, play, play.

I left Arsenal because I wanted to develop and learn as a player and get to experience a new club.

Of course, I made some mistakes as Arsenal goalie but I am sure that people also remember that I was unlucky with injuries.

I loved football. I'm so glad I played. But I didn't think it was wise for me to play longer.

When I look back, maybe I would change some things. Maybe the move to Germany was too early and I should have stayed at Chelsea a bit longer.

The operations were big ones, so I knew it'd take a lot of hard work. It's hard, you know? You're in the gym for hours on end doing strengthening exercises, and that's just so you are able to start running again. You can't even think about getting on the pitch to start with.

It's impossible for one player to play the whole year. I've learnt that myself, and you're always bound to get injuries.

It's a very violent game, and bodies take a beating, so you want to make sure you do everything you can to get your body back. It's just something you have to do.

I've had calf problems for many years, and it has been very difficult for me because I've played out of position, which means more sprints. Ten minutes into the game, I've not been able to feel my feet in a few games. I didn't like to go to the media and say, 'I am injured.'

I'm really happy with my first season in the Premier League: I played 38 games and managed to stay injury-free.

We're professional athletes. I feel like I got treated better in college wrestling. I had a physical therapist on hand at all times, no matter what, when I was in college.

It's not like I can't play football with some injuries.

I thought it was a little ankle sprain, but it was a little more than that. The road to recovery was tough, but I knew that I had to fight. I couldn't be disappointed, I couldn't be sad, I just had to get up and keep the smile on my face and get back. In the sport I play, injuries are part of it.