sports role model Quotes

A mate owned a Bryan Robson top. We were kicking about, and I asked if I could be Robbo for a while. My dad looked out and went ballistic. He wasn’t having his kid dragging the Gerrard name through the gutter. I thought we’d have to move!

Growing up I definitely looked up to Dominique Moceanu. She was my favorite gymnast and she was on that '96 Olympic team. She was always so fun to watch. I kind of wanted to model my career after hers.

My favorite player, growing up, was David Robinson. He was really the first person that I actually knew about and actually watched.

Steven Gerrard was someone I looked up to massively. I'd always try to copy him, right down to the boots he was wearing. It was his attitude on the pitch that stood out - you could really see how much he hated losing.

Once you become a professional athlete or once you do anything well, then you're automatically a role model ... I have no problem being a role model. I love it. I have kids looking up to me and hopefully I inspire these kids to do good things.

[Julie Marie Pacino]is a great ballplayer, which I wanted to be. She did make four films by the time she was 14 but we're not going to talk about that.

I'm not trying to be like what I thought an NBA player is supposed to be growing up.

I dreamt of being like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho Gaucho.

I patterned myself after Reggie Jackson. I wanted to have that same swing and hit some homeruns. When I was down in A-ball, I was trying to be Reggie Jackson and I was striking out all the time. And I was like, 'This isn't the way Reggie is doing it, so I got to change.'

I dreamt of being like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho Gaucho.