Per Mertesacker Quotes

I think the coaches have to play a big role in the players' development.

My first target is not to win: it's to develop young players with our work. That was my first idea when I started as a coach, because with this work come results.

We have to instill in them the skills they need to succeed at a young age and open up their imaginations to the very real opportunities they can be afforded if they put their minds to it.

I'm used to being coached. Something I learned long ago is that a coach is trying to make you better and to be the best version of yourself.

I'm very passionate about the use of sports in young people's lives to build self-esteem and self-discipline and self-confidence. It's been a big thing for me.

It's been years since I've had a real input in the game anyway. For this game, I've just tried to keep all the other stuff away from the players and coaches.

At a young age winning is not the most important thing... the important thing is to develop creative and skilled players with good confidence.

I'm sure Mourinho will make me a better player and a better person.

I love watching players improve - even as a Little League coach.

Welcome to the world we live in as coaches. You've got to figure out what you can do best and better to get these kids a chance to be successful. I think that comes through a lot of things - confidence, improvement, recruiting.

The players is what I enjoy, the training ground, making players better and believing in themselves because you can make a difference.

It's important for me to exalt my players in their strengths and to try and cover their weakness, no?

I wish football, as a culture, bred more than just a football player. It has the ability to be an incubator and transition players properly.

As a mum of two myself, I know how important it is to encourage your kids to get involved in a variety of different skills as they grow up.

I was very fortunate to have several mentors in my life that believed in my ability on the football field. It was their support that made me believe that I could do it, too.

Some of the best coaches I've been around are those people I worked with in high school.

I worked under Jose Mourinho, a manager who taught me new things and stressed I should believe in myself.

Believe me, you need good people if you want to make good players.

I like to help kids, work with kids in detention homes. Don't tell a kid what's right and wrong. He knows what's right and wrong. Find out what his attitude and his aptitude are; try to help him where he wants to go.

I want to spend more time with those kids. I want to dedicate my time to train those kids and teach them what it takes, what they need to do to get to this level.

I think sports are extremely beneficial for our youth. They parallel life in so many ways.

If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish any goal or task they decide upon, you will have succeeded as a parent and you will have given your children the greatest of all blessings.

I learned really valuable lessons from 'Blue's Clues.' I'd repeat them every day. 'You can do things. You are smart.'

Coaches coach guys on the field. I get to spend time with practice squad receivers and tight ends or a young center who's always inactive on Sundays... I feel really good about having an impact on those guys and their careers.

Vocational education programs have made a real difference in the lives of countless young people nationwide; they build self-confidence and leadership skills by allowing students to utilize their unique gifts and talents.