Naby Keita Quotes

I know I have been compared with Broony and he is a player I've looked up to massively. When I first went into the Scotland squad he took me under his wing.

One of my biggest influences growing up was Jamie O'Brien. He was like an older brother to me.

With Punk, I consider him to be like a brother to me. He's one of the guys who took me under his wing when I first came. So we've been able to maintain a good relationship. And there are very few people in the business that you can call true friends, so I consider Punk to be that and more. So yes, 'road wife' is the term we used to sum that all up.

Jackie Chan is like a big bro to me.

Truth to be told, yes, it does feel very strange to be in the Spain setup without Xavi. Ever since I broke through for Barca and Spain he's always been around. We've always had a great relationship and he's always set an example in every way, when it comes to camaraderie, how much help he's given me and, above all, in footballing terms.

Bobby Flay has become a great mentor to me. He's one of my very best friends and kind of like a big brother, and I always feel like I can go to him for any kind of advice.

As a team-mate, the one who taught me the most was undoubtedly Fabio Cannavaro.

Having a big brother who taught me protections and blitz recognition has helped out a lot.

Jae Crowder, he's like my big bro.

The first time I was called up for Germany, it was Mesut who decided to look after me. He told me if I ever had any kind of problem, he would try to help me out, and that is exactly what he did. For sure, he helped me a lot.

LeBron's been like a big brother to me, watching me play and giving me pointers on just little things. I really look up to him.

I am trying to do everything that Ribery did for Bayern because he is a guy I like so much. He is my friend, who gives me lots of advice.

Once you have the support of the lads around you, you can't ask for any more.

I owe a large part of my success to Joe Brown, who helped me both as a player and a person.

He was definitely a father figure for all of us. Once you were a Giant, you were always a Giant.

Swimming gave me my start, but my pal Tarzan did the real work. He set me up nicely.

So many athletes who have been close to me have been everything to me.

You want to play for a guy who's going to be there for you. He's going to lead you. He's going to inspire you. Someone that the guys in the locker room can really rally around.

Tito Ortiz and I, in that short time that we worked together, we created a very nice connection. We became a family. I learned many things from him as he must also have learned from me. We talked as friends, and a good friend always wants your best.

I wasn't ever really friends with Garbrandt. We weren't really that close. But guys like Justin Buchholz, the head coach, he was always in my corner. Danny Castillo. Guys like that.

Bottom line, I have nothing but respect for Peyton Manning... He was always a great teammate to me; he's still a great friend to this day.

Eric Steele was a great goalkeeping coach who always looked after me, and I will remember that.

You try to do the best for your club, and you also create relationships and friendships - with Neymar, my relationship is really strong.

Pep trusted me, and I felt that trust. He won a lot of things, and I learned a lot from him during his Barcelona period.

Playing with Wayne Rooney was a dream come true. He's a legend and a role model to me.