Andrea Pirlo Quotes

Beckham was a great inspiration to me growing up.

My No. 1 goal, and what I've spent my entire life striving to achieve is to win a World Cup. I want to retire so badly with that World Cup, but if I don't, then I'll retire knowing that I've done everything I could to get it.

I talked to Grant Hill, and I told him, 'I played against you a lot, and now, hopefully, I'm getting to coach a player like you. Jabari has the opportunity to be a special player in this league. But it's not handed to you. He's going to work, and our jobs are to make him better each day.'

Winning the Ballon d'Or is the consequence of your work.

Since I was a child, I watched tapes of Baggio, Zico, and Maradona, and then I tried to replicate them just playing on my own against the wall. Certainly it's talent, but you have to cultivate that talent.

Everyone knows what a great player, as well as a person, David Beckham is. I am just hoping that I can learn from him. I know if I want to go far in my football career I have to do as well as him.

LeBron James, I just love watching him play. I love his work ethic and all the things he stands for.

I do not feel like I am on par with Messi and Ronaldo yet. I need to win trophies to match them. I try to help my team and country as good as possible to do just that.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined United a year after me. He was ultra-confident, with the talent to back it up. He was dedicated, too, and practised as hard as anyone after training. You could tell that he wanted to be a great player, the greatest.

Marquinhos is very good in the middle, as in defence. He is an incredible player who must and always wants to improve.

As a former player, I have a real appreciation for a guy like Aaron Rodgers and how much time he puts into his craft and how good he is doing it.

For what Ronaldo's achieved, he's amazing; he's a great team-mate.

From my own personal experience, I can tell you that things I achieved in the J2 league meant a lot to me.

Coming in, I wanted to be a great player, and right now at the beginning of my career, I'm showing some slight sunshine that I can be the player I want.

I'd compare myself to Zinedine Zidane - a humble guy who just happened to be the best.

I'm very please to have Unai Emery as my coach. I'm convinced I'll be able to make progress under him by working hard, which is the most important thing for me.

There are hundreds of players who are trying to be a Beckham or Cantona but do not have the personality, and they fail.

The dream of every footballer and why we train and work is to reach the top, and a World Cup is the top.

I want to keep on improving as a player and become the best... one of the best midfielders in my position in the world.

I'm going to go out and be the best quarterback I can be and get the most out of my potential.

I feel as though I've proved myself these last five years that I can be one of the top players in the league.

Every season is a new challenge to me, and I always set out to improve in terms of games, goals, assists.

Competing at the highest level is not about winning. It's about preparation, courage, understanding and nurturing your people, and heart. Winning is the result.

It took me a while to figure that out and to realize what a gift that I had been given. And when I finally did, I dedicated myself to be the best pitcher I possibly could be, for as long as I possibly could be.

Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.