Kevin De Bruyne Quotes

Here at Basel is where I made my first professional steps. I came up and grew up through the FC Basel school.

I was about five or six when I went to the little foundation camps. I got into the academy when I was nine, and I've gone through every age group since and into the first team.

You score goals as a kid. Then you grow up stupid and become a goalkeeper.

At school, I was always a central midfielder from a young age. Then, when I joined Villa at 16, the pre-season didn't go too well, so they looked at me as a centre-half.

The quality of our academy system is very high, as good as anything in the world. Around the country, lots of people in youth development are keen to get together and find a solution to that 17-to-21 age bracket and how we get those players playing.

I was playing first-team football at Cardiff at 16.

It's a bit different when you're 16 as to when you're 20. You're a little bit more developed and mature in your body.

Kids are smart nowadays, they are much more aware of their surroundings than we were 20 years ago, but at the same time it is important that they are guided as a friend when they go through adolescence.

I like to play wide, but as a youth, I played more in the middle as a 10.

Growing up I've been playing as an attacking midfielder, more central in the midfield. I wouldn't say if I'm most comfortable there but that's where I grew up playing.

I would like to do what Cristiano has done: start wide and go into the middle as a No. 10 or 9.

I think you do a lot of your growing as a human being between the ages of 13 and 18.

I grew up playing for Manhasset High on Long Island on a team with six black guys.

I was still only 19 when I went to Scotland, but it was a good loan move for me to play those extra games.

I played three years as a junior.

I learnt so much at Coventry - I was playing as a regular at 17, most weeks. And that's something that left me in good stead.

Real Madrid wanted me to join their academy. It was a big decision to move when I was 15. It's a key age for a youngster, and you're close to your friends and family. But I moved to Madrid, and my family stayed at home. It made me mature earlier than normal. That was a very big decision, and it changed me in a positive way.

I played in the Under 18s when I was 14, then the reserves at 15, and then the first team.

Playing as a striker is a nice role because I spent all my youth there so that's why I like it.

I grew up in Brixton as a young teenager playing basketball for the Brixton Topcats, which marked the beginning of my career.

The best place for Cristiano is not out on the wings. The best for him is to play in every position.

When I was growing up, I played football, I loved football.

I played for Middlesbrough's youth team. At the age of 16, I went into a shed at the training ground and was told that they weren't signing me on, so that was the end of that dream. Football was my life. I played football when I got to school, football every break and football as soon as I got home.

Nolito is not a left winger - he is a central player.

I started out as a defender. I played as a full-back, and then I moved into the centre. I played defence right the way through until the Under-18s. Honestly!