Football Inspiration Quotes

My biggest hero was Roman Gabriel, who was the QB of the Rams, and Roger Staubach. Those were the two guys I tired to emulate when I was little.

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.

Once I started playing as a striker, I'd say I looked up to Julie Fleeting and Thierry Henry.

I was always inspired by Brazilian football growing up. Those huge Nike campaigns, the Jogo Bonito campaigns that had Ronaldinho, that's the beauty of the game that I love.

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.

Art Monk was an example for Jerry Rice. That's what Jerry always told me.

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.

As a boy, I wanted to be the Peruvian Diego Maradona. Sadly, Peru hasn't made the World Cup since 1982, so I guess I did well to choose something different.

Deacon Jones has been the most inspirational person in my football career.

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.

In Spain, they show many Premier League games on TV, and it is an inspirational league. Maybe I would like to play in the Premier League.

My first hero to wear the number 10 shirt was Ronaldinho.

Lionel Messi is a role model for everyone, including me.

The likes of Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, and Ryan Giggs - I can see it live every day. I don't have to sit in front of a TV to study it.

I ask myself what I can do to become like Messi and Ronaldo and score 50 or 60 goals in a season.

I wanted to be Ronaldinho. I studied him a lot. He was my hero.

I have always seen Drogba as the example to follow in terms of a centre-forward. He was strong and scored loads of goals, and he was a quality player.

As a kid, you'd look at all these guys in the NFL and almost idolize them.

God bless Neymar because this boy has changed the lives of kids in Brazil. A lot of children watch him, believe they can be the next Neymar. Sometimes, you have a great opportunity to change and impact the lives of kids.

The first time I watched a World Cup game was in 2002. That was the first time Senegal had ever qualified for the World Cup, and it was great moment that I will never forget in my life. I was ten years old at the time, and that experience of watching my country in a World Cup is what inspired me to become a footballer.

I have grown up as a player watching many champions like Pirlo and Xavi. I have watched them and tried to learn from how they do things.

I want to be the complete midfielder, someone who can defend and attack. Steven Gerrard is someone who's done that very well over the years, and he is someone I am trying to emulate.

Scoring goals is nice, but I'm nowhere near Platini. I hope I can get closer to him.

When I was young, I looked up to Andriy Shevchenko. He was so elegant, and on the pitch as well.

One of the best things if you are a football player is to see the faces of the kids, when they see you and are dreaming of being like you one day. That's a big responsibility, to be a good image for those kids. A football player is more than just a football player.