James Maddison Quotes

Getting a chance to practice six months against my own teammates, who I consider the best soccer players in the world, there's no way I couldn't improve.

The art of coaching is to give a player freedom to bring out his talent. It is the player's responsibility for what happens once they are on the pitch.

I don't just want to be that guy who throws hard.

I think the 20-year-old me from that time, if I could have been managed under Jurgen Klopp, I'd have benefitted.

I spent my whole life as a soccer player and I've honed every skill, I continue to hone them, you can never be good enough.

I started to realise I am not as strong as others, and I can't muscle someone off the ball who is twice the size of me. So I have altered my game, playing on the half-turn, for example, and it's made me a much better player.

International sport is a lonely journey. You compete with one's self and try to grow as a cricketer.

Baseball gives a growing boy self poise and self reliance.

The young athlete who aspires to greatness, generally speaking, learns a number of things from several different coaches. The first one taught him the fundamentals; the second one instilled discipline in him and taught him more of the techniques that must be mastered to excel.

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.

Sport was an integral part of school life. The most influential teachers were not necessarily the PE teachers, but the teachers who helped me in sport because they had an understanding of what you were going through.

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 just here to be a leader and work on my game, work on my jump-hooks, my low-post game and just continue to get better. That's all that matters.

The pre-CrossFit Rich Froning was a wuss.

I started in a 4-3-3 formation at Ajax, playing in left midfield. There, you need to be just as involved defensively as you are going forward. You attack and you defend, and that allows you to be a complete player.

In Europe, being fast, being strong, playing only with your quality, you are going to struggle against teams that prepare.

When I was five, I joined a club, 'Excelsior', the club of Kralingen, in the first division. I was always training. On a free afternoon, I did individual work with Aad Putters, my youth trainer. Not with the idea growing to be a star, but for fun.

I think I have been able to slow down a little bit and really work on different things... I think I improved on being a leader on the court. Controlling the game, controlling the pace... that is where I have grown.

I mean I've been around a lot of places and there's been a lot of guys that - every single team that I've ever been on, I really try to take advantage of the older veterans that are there, try to learn about their process, how they take care of their bodies, how they study, how they watch film.

Sports will equip kids with the necessary tools to face academic challenges, and provide all-round development.

The Championship allows you to grow as a player. It is very competitive.

I know people say you have to be big and strong to play in the Premier League, but you cannot just judge a player by their size. You have to look at their other qualities, too.

At Barcelona from the early days I was seen as a goalscorer. Going somewhere else for a while has shown me I can enjoy games from a perspective other than just scoring goals.

But concepts around how a team functions, the importance of the relationship between football and the person, how you develop both, are always valid.

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