This is a list of the greatest and most famous quotes from the world of soccer.
Soccer is a beautiful game that unites people from all over the world. So, naturally, soccer has delivered some beautiful quotes as well.
That’s why I’ve curated this list of the greatest soccer quotes that are inspiring, thought-provoking, and humorous.
These quotes come from a variety of sources, including players, coaches, and pundits.
They also cover a range of topics, including:
- the beauty of the game,
- the importance of hard work and dedication, and
- the unifying power of soccer.
Here are the best quotes in soccer history.
Enjoy!
Famous Soccer Quotes
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing.” – Pelé
“Sometimes you have to accept you can’t win all the time.” – Lionel Messi
“Football (soccer) is all about passion, it’s about fighting for the shirt, for your team, and for the supporters.” – Jürgen Klopp
“There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child. I always help in any way I can, even if it’s just by signing an autograph. A child’s smile is worth more than all the money in the world.” – Lionel Messi
“The game of football (soccer) is like a canvas, and it’s up to the players to paint the most beautiful picture.” – Diego Maradona
“Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pele. I have a great responsibility to show them not just how to be like a soccer player, but how to be like a man.” – Pelé
“The most important quality a player can have is not skill, but mentality.” – Jose Mourinho
“We always try to win until the very end. If we don’t, we congratulate the opponent. That’s what sport is about.” – Pep Guardiola
“I believe that football can be used as a tool to bring about positive change in society.” – Yaya Toure
“Some people think football (soccer) is a matter of life and death. I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” – Bill Shankly
“It’s not about the name on the back of the shirt, it’s about the badge on the front.” – Patrick Vieira
“I think soccer is a great game because it brings people together. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what language you speak, soccer unites everyone.” – Marco van Basten
Motivational Soccer Quotes
“Hard work will always overcome natural talent when natural talent does not work hard enough.” – Sir Alex Ferguson
“Confidence is a massive part of success in football. If you believe in yourself and your team, you can achieve anything.” – Rio Ferdinand
“The secret to success in football is to always give your best and never give up.” – Carles Puyol
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Arjen Robben
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – George Best
“You can learn a lot from losing. You can learn how to handle disappointment and come back stronger the next time.” – Marco van Basten
“The best way to prove yourself is to play with pride and passion.” – Tony Adams
“I always believed in myself and in my qualities, even when others didn’t.” – Luka Modric
“I once cried because I had no shoes to play soccer, but one day, I met a man who had no feet.” – Zinedine Zidane
“We must always set the bar high — otherwise we do not progress.” – Kylian Mbappe
“People react to criticism in different ways, and my way is definitely to come out fighting.” – David Beckham
“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” – Pelé
“Talent isn’t everything. You can have it from the cradle, but it is necessary to learn the trade to be the best.” – Cristiano Ronaldo
“I start early and I stay late, day after day, year after year, it took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.” – Lionel Messi
“Excuses are like losses. Everyone has them except champions.” – Alex Morgan
Funny Soccer Quotes
“Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.” – Gary Lineker
“I would have played for free, but they insisted on paying me.” – Tony Gwylim
“The ball is round, the game lasts ninety minutes, and everything else is just theory.” – Sepp Herberger
“Look, I’m a coach, I’m not Harry Potter. He is magical, but in reality there is no magic. Magic is fiction and football is real.” – Jose Mourinho
“Soccer is a game in which everyone does a lot of running around. Twenty-one guys stand around and one guy does a tap dance with the ball.” – Jim Murray
“When I score, I don’t celebrate because it’s my job. When a postman delivers letters, does he celebrate?” – Mario Balotelli
“I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the
league.” – Mark Viduka
“We lost because we didn’t win.” – Ronaldo Nazario
“Some people say that we professional football (soccer) players are slaves. Well, if this is slavery, then give me a life sentence!” – Sir Bobby Charlton
“Alex Ferguson is the best manager I’ve ever had at this level. Well,
he’s the only manager I’ve actually had at this level. But he’s the best
manager I’ve ever had.” – David Beckham
“I’ve had 14 bookings this season—eight of which were my fault, but seven of
which were disputable.” – Paul Gascoigne
“Without being too harsh on David Beckham, he cost us the match.” – Ian Wright
“The Brazilians were South American, and the Ukrainians will be more
European.” – Phil Neville
“It was like the ref had a brand new yellow card and wanted to see if
it worked.” – Richard Rufus
“Sometimes in football you have to score goals.” – Thierry Henry
Inspirational Quotes
“Aim for the sky and you’ll reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you’ll stay on the floor.” – Bill Shankly
“Football is more than just a game. It can bring hope and joy to people’s lives.” – Didier Drogba
“In football, the greatest satisfaction is winning when they say you can’t.” – Robert Lewandowski
“Age is just a number. What really matters is your passion for the game and your determination to succeed.” – Roger Milla
“If you don’t believe you’re the best, then you will never achieve all that you are capable of.” – Cristiano Ronaldo
“I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it.” – Andres Iniesta
“I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well. More important than that, I feel an endless need to learn, to improve, to evolve, not only to please the coach and the fans, but also to feel satisfied with myself.” – Cristiano Ronaldo
“Football is like life, it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and respect for authority.” – Vince Lombardi Jr.
“The beauty of football is that everyone can contribute in their own way, no matter how big or small their role may be.” – Philipp Lahm
“You can overcome anything, if and only if you love something enough.” – Lionel Messi
“If you’re not going to work hard, there’s no point in waking up.” – Neymar Jr.
“I have many years to get better and better, and that has to be my ambition. The day you think there is no improvements to be made is a sad one for any player.” – Lionel Messi
“You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard.” – Cristiano Ronaldo
Soccer Quotes For Girls
“I believe that the future of soccer is bright, and that there is a bright future for female soccer players all over the world.” – Marta
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” – Hope Solo
“I just love being a role model for young girls. I just hope that I can inspire them to work hard and follow their dreams.” – Alex Morgan
“The USWNT is not just a team, it’s a family. We support each other and we fight for each other on and off the field.” – Megan Rapinoe
“Success in soccer is not just about the number of goals you score, but the impact you have on the game and the people around you.” – Brandi Chastain
“Whatever brings you down will eventually make you stronger.” – Alex Morgan
“We need to have women in more powerful positions that are making decisions, so when that 10-year-old girl is looking up and wondering, ‘What can I do and what do I want to be when I get older?’ She has the opportunity to do and be whatever she wants.” – Abby Wambach
“Coaches can give you information, they can give you guidelines, and they can put you in a position. But the only person who can truly make you better is you.” – Brandi Chastain
“I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.” – Mia Hamm
“I worked on my weaknesses and made them my strengths.” – Sydney Leroux
“Do what you love. If you love something, you aren’t going to care about the sacrifices you’re making to do whatever it is.” – Kelley O’Hara
“The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking.” – Mia Hamm
Quotes About Teamwork
“Football is not about one or two or three star players. It’s about the team.” – Xavi
“Football is a team game, and you need everyone working together to achieve success.” – Didier Drogba
“In football, the worst blindness is only seeing the ball.” – Nelson Falcão Rodrigues
“I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down, and I will not let myself down.” – Tim Howard
“I never thought about the records I was breaking, I just wanted to score goals and help my team win.” – Romario
“My philosophy? Well, I think it’s pretty simple. You work hard, you play hard, and you control your emotions. That’s it.” – Carlo Ancelotti
“Football is a team game, and it’s important to be playing with players who understand your way of playing.” – Xavi
“You need teamwork to achieve real success, and that attitude comes straight from soccer.” – Matt Bahr
“I don’t need a captain’s band to lead a team to victory.” – Hope Solo
“I’m going to tell you the story about the geese which fly 5,000 miles from Canada to France. They fly in V-formation but the second ones don’t fly. They’re the subs for the first ones. And then the second ones take over – so it’s teamwork.” – Sir Alex Ferguson
“To be the ultimate team, you must use your body and your mind. Draw upon the resources of your teammates. Choose your steps wisely and you will win. Remember, only teams succeed.” – Jose Mourinho
“Teammates are critical to your success. The reality is no matter how good you are, you can’t score if they don’t pass you the ball, you can’t win if they don’t stop the other team.” – Alex Morgan
Short Soccer Quotes
“Everything is practice.” – Pelé
“I learned all about life with a ball at my feet” – Ronaldinho
“Football (soccer) is the ballet of the masses.” – Dmitri Shostakovich
“The smartest thing I did is I never gave up.” – Ivan Rakitic
“You owe it to yourself to be the best you can be.” – Christian Pulisic
“Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple.” – Johan Cruyff
“Life is full of regrets, but it doesn’t pay to look back.” – Zinedine Zidane
“You can’t score a goal if you don’t take a shot.” – Johan Cruyff
“Before kids can play like a pro, they must enjoy playing the game like a kid.” – Steve Locker
“It’s hard to beat somebody that never gives up.” – Megan Rapinoe
“I’ve never played for a draw in my life.” – Sir Alex Ferguson
“Let us fight until the end. Let me try at least that – fight.” – Pep Guardiola
“Football is the poetry of a motion.” – Arsene Wenger
“Football is a game you play with your brain.” – Johan Cruyff
“The ball is my best friend.” – Pelé
Quotes About the Game of Soccer
“Football is not just a game, it’s an art form. You have to be creative, think outside the box, and always be one step ahead of your opponent.” – Ronaldinho
“In football, the result is an impostor. You can do things really, really well but not win. There’s something greater than the result, more lasting – a legacy.” – Xavi
“When you grow up playing soccer, it’s almost a given that you’re going to love sports in general.” – Landon Donovan
“Football is an art, like dancing is an art – but only when it’s well done does it become an art.” – Arsene Wenger
“To me, football is the simplest and most complex game. Simple because it’s played with a ball, and complex because there are so many ways to play it.” – Andres Iniesta
“Football is a game of mistakes. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes wins.” – Johan Cruyff
“I think football is more than a game, it is a passion. It is something that comes from inside and touches people’s hearts.” – Yaya Toure
“Football is the most important of the less important things in the world.” – Carlo Ancelotti
“Football is a universal language. It brings people together, irrespective of their nationalities, cultures or beliefs.” – George Weah
“The most important thing in football is what happens on the pitch.” – Lionel Messi
“The beauty of football is that anyone can beat anyone.” – Paulo Dybala
“Soccer has taken me to places I never thought I would go, and allowed me to meet people from all over the world.” – Tim Cahill
“Soccer belongs to the fans and the players. As long as I’m involved in the game, I want to give back.” – David Beckham
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