Virgil van Dijk Quotes

You hope to bring your 'A Game' to any game, and of course you do in a final. You hope to bring experience, fitness, communication skills, motivational skills.

In football, I need full concentration even though I really enjoy it.

I say to my friends, 'Don't just listen to the vuvuzelas; look at who scores the goals.' And this is the important thing.

Complaining and arguing will not help. We are fully concentrating on the game against the Czechs.

When I'm on the field, I really don't focus on fans. I just focus on my responsibility, which is the guy right across from me.

When great teams meet, there is never a problem with concentration.

We arrived at the 2002 World Cup with two titles, very calm, well organised, maybe missing a bit of concentration. But the only truth is on the pitch. The dangers are there.

During the game, you don't really notice how many guys have touched the ball because you're just focusing on where you need to be.

If the play-caller has confidence in you, you can feel it on the headset. You can feel it by the way he's calling plays.

Sometimes you can say it is boring being in goal, but what is important is I am in communication with the defence.

Teamwork. That's the biggest lesson you can learn from competing in NCAA gymnastics. Everyone just has to work together, you have to trust in everyone, and everyone has to push you to become the gymnast you want to be.

Communication is something that I find if don't do, I will go missing, I won't be fully focused. If I'm constantly giving messages to the defenders not only do they know where they are but I am switched on and in the right position. It all links together.

As a football team, you head into the season the same way with confidence and a positive mindset that you are going to win a bunch of football games.

Great execution. That's what you have to do when you're playing great teams.

A good football team plays offense and defense. You have to be aggressive and disrupt.

I have unbelievable trust in my offensive line that they will get the job done. Not only them, but the running backs and as a quarterback, I have to do my job in getting the ball in the right people's hands and doing what I do best.

My teammates, they keep you focused.

I'm a firm believer in staying out of the way. When you're on a team and the guy's throwing a no-hitter, you don't talk to them. You let them do their thing.

For me, fielding and running between the wickets are two things that are very important. For that, you need to motivate the guys about how much of an effect it will have on the game.

When I'm playing in a close game, I'm out on the floor only trying to help the team win.

For me, basketball was the way I was able to hone my leadership skills during the heat of competition.

It is not my role to go out and do the power hitting. My job is to play my natural game.

When I'm on the field, I'm locked in, focused on my job. I try to have a positive play and try to get points on the board.

If you are full of motivation as a player, if you are full of concentration, I am open arms.

There is so much interaction in a football match: between you and your team-mates and how you support each other, work for each other, make runs. But I also enjoy the other aspect: the pressing and how people work so hard to recover the ball.