Paul Scholes Quotes

One of my friends, Bruno Andrade, was so quick, he just used to knock the ball past whoever he was playing against, and I thought, 'Why can't I do that?' Until then, I would try to dribble and maybe try a stepover, but Andre would just knock it then - beep, beep - and he was so fast, he would get there first.

When I'm on the field, the trick I like to do most are stepovers. For me, it's a simple, beautiful dribble that also has a point.

I love Mbappe. He is so quick, carries the ball so fast, and can run the length of the pitch.

I'm a naturally gifted left-footed footballer.

When I play, I play with my feet and with my head also.

Carrying the ball is one of the strongest points in my game and I like to be a danger on the pitch.

The players who tend to make the difference are often great dribblers. Some are very fast; others have a repertoire of moves and feints. These players need to have great technique in order to be good dribblers. But I'm not a good dribbler.

If you give Messi a metre, he'll snatch the ball and leave you behind.

If you're playing for five hours you don't want to score goals all the time and I loved dribbling. I could score a goal, but I preferred to dribble.

I am very fit and by playing sweeper I can control the speed of the game.

I spent hours from 11 until 16 with Tottenham in the gym playing the ball against the wall. We played against the wall for an hour before we would have a match. Left foot. Right foot. In the square. In the circle. Above the line, below it. Chest control. Thigh control. Volley sideways.

Striker is my favourite position, but once I get on the pitch, whether it's out on the wing or in the middle, I just want to enjoy my football and try and produce as good a performance as possible.

I love watching Messi with the ball at his feet. He scores goals and everything else.

In soccer, you have to be sly.

Messi is the best in the world, even when he is defending.

Lionel Messi reminds me of George Best, the way he would run with the ball tight to his foot.

I was certainly no Maradona. I was a very fast player. When I saw a space, I used it. When I went past somebody, he didn't catch up with me again. I was a player who came with a run-up. What Maradona could see in a small space, I saw over long distances.

I'm two-footed. I prefer to dribble with the left and shoot with the right.

I think, as a midfielder, you need to have that aggression as part of your game.

I like to take a little bit from every midfielder I have played against, whether it's physically, technically, tactically, just to try to improve my game.

I learned how to defend the ball with my body and to be faster than my opponents.

If Messi has the ball, he is fantastic to watch and difficult to stop. You have to double up on him, triple up on him even, stay with him constantly to block his way to the goal.

It is very important to be able to play with your feet, and deal with one-on-ones.

When Messi gets the chance to go one against one, he is very difficult to stop on his own.

You need to beat a defender when you have the ball. You need to be able to successfully pass to a team-mate, and there are other attributes needed to be the complete player.