Ronald Koeman Quotes

In '82 Brazil showed that you can't win the World Cup without a solid defense.

The Italians are very strong defensively. They showed in Euro 2000 how good defensively they are.

It is very hard to find a good defender who is strong and good with the ball. Very hard.

I think I have that ability to win the ball back quickly when we lose it.

I have always wanted to play against those types of players such as Ronaldo and Neymar.

My view is that you show Messi one side or the other, and if he goes past you, he goes past you. But if he slips it through your legs, then you have to obstruct him and take the foul. Just don't ever let yourself be nutmegged.

Defending for a team as offensive as Real Madrid isn't that easy.

For me, the best defender I played against was Carles Puyol. He was my teammate, too, but my rival many times. Also, Roberto Ayala, the Argentinian centerback.

Football is open; it is not only keeping possession of the ball and making more passes.

My first mind-set when I am out on the field is to defend well and not concede.

I can do a lot of stuff, score goals with my left, right, and head.

When you master all defensive and offensive aspects of the game and always enjoy the majority of possession, you're sitting in pole position to win.

As a player, sometimes you expect something to happen every time the ball is in the box. Every time somebody falls down, you get nervous because you have to watch your back because anything can happen.

In high school, you don't play much defense. It's mostly offense. In college, it's vice versa, and that's what I tried to do.

Messi often has a crowd of opponents around him, but with Neymar on the pitch, too, at least two of those opposition players will have to be aware of him.

I'm not Giovinco. I don't get the ball and dribble past three players.

For me, the best player in the world is Messi, but the second one is Cristiano.

In all ways, I want to be better in all of these things that top midfielders can do.

As I'm growing up, going into holding midfield, I'm watching Busquets quite a lot for Barcelona. The way he controls the game, his reading of it, technically, defensively - everything about him cuts him out above the rest. I'm really enjoying watching him.

I just want to be one of the best in the Premier League, scoring goals.

I've definitely seen a lot of good players since I've came to Australia and I've definitely seen a lot of players that could easily play in the Championship in England.

Ronaldo is a top player, not only for his goals but also for his personality, as he hates to lose.

No single player can stop Antoine Griezmann on his own.

Zidane was an idol for me, I grew up watching him play. He always asks me to come out playing the ball and that I don't just sit deep.

The last thing you want as a striker is the opposing team putting all 10 players behind the ball.