Dries Mertens Quotes

I played against a lot of guys, a lot of good players, and I remember those guys. They're friends now. They weren't then. You wanted to beat them.

Sometimes you get into fights if a teammate is getting taken advantage of, sometimes just from competing and you feel someone takes a cheap shot. It's just the intensity. It's an intense game, sometimes you just get too fired up and fights happen.

There are some athletes who don't like me.

Just like in everything else, there are people in football who you don't particularly like.

I'm a competitor; I'm in here talking - come at me. If you score on me, I'm gonna tap you on your butt. You got the best of me - but you got to do it every time.

I don't have no issue with any guy. I'm a football player. I'm a competitor. When we're in the field, we're going to compete and be competitive. It's not personal between none of these guys. It's all in the game.

It was fun winning with the Nasty Nine, but it didn't feel good going into every game with the Nasty Nine, I tell you that.

If I can't outplay you in football, I'm gonna fight ya.

The nature of football can bring out the best in people, but it can also bring out the worst in people.

I had true rivalries. Not only did I want to beat my opponent, but I didn't want to let him up, either. I had a rivalry with Mac, Lendl, Borg. Everybody knew there was tension between us, on court and off. That's what's really ingrained in my mind: 'This is real. This isn't a soft rivalry.' There were no hugs and kisses.

I have found that the players who have played in that game really do have respect for their adversaries.

Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting.

Then in a fraction of a second, I realized that these sportsmen were not anyone's enemies.

Sports is like a war without the killing.

Soccer isn't very social. Plus, if you don't like someone on the other team, you can do something about it.

We play fair and we play hard. If we win the game we win, if we lose the game, we lose.

Winning isn't all that matters.

I don't have any concerns fighting a teammate. It's a sport. To me, it doesn't really mean anything.

There's obviously games and a history you have with guys that maybe you're a little more fired up to let them know if maybe you beat them on a play.

When you go out on to that field it's going to be war. Sportsmanship is playing to the best of your abilities and then, afterwards, shaking your opponent's hand.

We're all friends, me and the refs.

I'll miss the competitive side and the camaraderie of being around the players and competing each and every day.

I'm against the fighting. But sometimes when you're trying to help your team, trying to win the games, there are moments when you need to get a little aggressive.

Even after defeating India, I still have the highest respect for them as opponents.

Football is beautiful. Football is beautiful because whether you win, draw, or lose, you can go and shake your opponent's hand, whether they're white or black or red or blue.