Football Idols Quotes

It's good for Brazilian football to have idols, stars, big stars coming back to Brazilian clubs. The tournaments become much better, more interesting. Ze Roberto, Juninho Pernambucano, Ronaldinho Gaucho, and other players who have returned to Brazil strengthen the league and improve the tournaments.

I always idolized guys like Deion Sanders, Barry Sanders, Steve Young and the entire 49ers team, really. I was a huge 49ers fan growing up.

As a young Scottish footballer growing up - I always used to follow Scotland and watch the games - Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, and Joe Jordan were players I looked up to.

Paolo Maldini is someone I loved at AC Milan and looked up to as a player. I think he had so much about him. He had so much quality and he was a player I looked to growing up. Him and Tony Adams - another footballer who's won it all.

I looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo, and then it was always Didier Drogba.

It's true that when I started out, I was more a fan of attacking players and one in particular: the Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima. Another of my idols was Claudio Caniggia, an Argentinian forward with long hair, who I liked a lot. It's because of him that I started to grow my hair long!

Growing up, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were the players I looked up to - and Carlos Tevez when he was at the club.

Playing in Milan for me meant being able to play alongside players who were idols to me as a kid. Playing alongside David Beckham - his long passes are perfect for me.

When I was younger my idols were Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit.

My greatest idol– I’'ve always told everyone – was Robinho as he was from Santos and I was always following him, so I'’m a great fan. Among others, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Kaká. Many of them.

When I was young, as a fan of Independiente, my idol was Enrique Bochini. He was a playmaker and a total legend at the club. He never played for another club in his career. Maradona was a fan of Bochini too. So when I think that I have only played for Inter in Italy, I feel a little like Bochini. Only with far fewer assists!

Paul Gascoigne was one who I watched as a young boy. He was a hero to all of us really. Chris Waddle was one for me too, just because of where I grew up. Where I'm from, he was somebody who was representing England and playing in the Premier League, and as a young boy I always wanted to do both.

My idol was always Tomas Rosicky. He used to be phenomenal. He had such a good eye for an opening and knew where his team-mates were and he was so quick. I copied everything about him – right down to his sweatbands. [] he would be one of the world’s best players. Jack Wilshere is a perfect player. Boy, he’s good. He’s so quick and skillful with the ball at his feet.

Messi and Ronaldinho were the two players who were my idols when I was young.

Ryan Giggs and David Beckham were the two players I've always looked up to.

The players who played for Milan when I was a child are legends for what they've won and given to football. Then, when I got bigger, Nesta became my idol and I went on to become a defender.

I had a lot of idols like Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, and Xabi Alonso - all of them. I really looked up to them.

Playing along with Mbappe, Cavani, Neymar will be a dream come true for me.

As a player I had a few idols but that's not really interesting any more. I was a striker and focusing on guys like Marco van Basten but as a coach I want to make my own footsteps.

My ideal trident would be myself alongside Rooney and Messi. They are the players who make me dream - not Cristiano.

The Champions League was something very distant for us. I grew up in a very small town with 50,000 inhabitants, and it was a way of being able to watch my idols or people I admired play football on television.

As a kid, I looked up to Gazza, and to Wayne Rooney because he came through at Everton. Zidane has been one of my favourite players and I was always watching videos of him.

I have kids, so I can understand the image that footballers have. They are fans of some players; I see in their eyes. They admire and try to imitate their gestures, their words, their celebrations. They love Ronaldo and Messi. Since Euro 2016, though, they have no right to pronounce the name of Ronaldo!

I had a poster of Iniesta. He seemed like a different player to me: elegant, special... a genius. I watched all the Barcelona games to see how they played and the geniuses, Iniesta and Messi. After, I tried to imitate them, but it was difficult.

I dreamt of being like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaucho.