Top 101 Quotes & Sayings by Edgar Davids

I'd love to see Balotelli at Juventus. I think he can become the best.

I have respect for every level of football.

I have only one body, which is the home of my spirit; therefore, I cherish my body.

In both games, you have to think fast. In chess you tend to know all the patterns already, just like in football.

I played for Barcelona, for Ajax, where it's important to develop and integrate young talent.

I started in a 4-3-3 formation at Ajax, playing in left midfield. There, you need to be just as involved defensively as you are going forward. You attack and you defend, and that allows you to be a complete player.

If you play for Barcelona or Ajax or for any top team or top side, they want to see the top players excel every week.

Sometimes I don't even accept the simplest medical treatment, such as, for example, the anti-flu vaccine.

By playing in the street, the level of Asian football can absolutely improve, as you will get more technical players. They will be quicker, more creative, and after succeeding in the street, it will be a piece of cake for them to do well eleven a side.

When you play eleven a side, you might go through a game with very few touches, but with street football, you're always involved in the game, so it is a great way to improve your skill and to learn how to create and use space, as the pitch is very small.

My previous bosses - Louis van Gaal and Marcello Lippi, to name two - have all taught me something.

It is important to have tough and strong players to win back the ball and give consistency to a team.

Great players will always be able to play with other great players.

Most racist people are like sheep. They are people without backbones.

Asian players are very eager to work hard, but they don't have the physicality of the Europeans, so they might actually need to work twice as hard. With street football, their skills will improve a lot, and so will their tactical awareness, because by playing within a limited space, you need to be very focused on your game.

I can play left-back; I can play in midfield or on the left or right wings.

Gerrard is passionate, and he leads from the front. At times, he has lifted Liverpool to great wins almost single-handedly.

I have fantastic memories. It was a memorable time in my life, and I was pleased to get the chance to come to Barcelona and help the team.

Even though you're irritated or disappointed about a game, never lose your human side.

Messi is just an anomaly: he can dribble, he can score, he can pass, he has the vision, he understands the game.

It hurts me that Puyol is leaving Barcelona, and I wish him well. For me, he was always the fire that the team needed.

This game is about engagement and respect, whether you're playing in the Champions League or in the fourth division.

People know who Carlo Ancelotti is. He's a man with a lot of experience.

When big teams play each other, you automatically want to raise your game. You want to see what level you're at, and you know you have to step up.

Street football features all the basics of football: you get a lot of touches on the ball, it is fast, teaches you to think quickly and to be creative.

Ronaldo is the best of the best, I mean not only as a football player but also as a human being. You can see how he developed and how devoted he is to really staying on top every year to excel. I think that is something unbelievable, and I said it before and will say it again: he is an athlete, and an athlete is a positive thing.

Barcelona need somebody at the back who can defend and has that passion the fans love.

Zizou is a phenomenon. It is an honour to share the same midfield as him. But he thinks the same about me.

Jaap Stam is a man-mountain of a footballer.

All teams are grateful for their fans most of the time because they give you the platform to perform. It might sound like a cliche, but it's the truth.

I just want to enjoy football and show the best I can do.

The truth hurts, and not everyone can deal with it. Every player is different, but they are all entitled to the truth. It is up to them if they can handle it or not.

Conte is a good coach, but I would steal his place on the bench.

In management, everything is different. If you look at successful coaches, they always need time to kickstart something. Arrigo Sacchi - when he started the revolution at Milan, he was almost on the brink of being sacked, but then he won, and people started believing in the system; he had more time to breathe.

I'm just straightforward.

I have been racially abused by fans and players, but sometimes it's just a way to get under your skin.

Seedorf is doing well, and I am happy for him. I hope he stays at Milan so that he can prove how much he really understands about football.

I am enjoying my time as Barnet coach, but I think I could do it in Serie A.

When you change team, and you have the right mindset and a coach who respects you, everything becomes easier.

Pogba is an extraordinary talent.

You can get racially abused 10 times before you even reach the football stadium. If you've been confronted every day with something like that, it's hard. This is not about people playing the 'race card.' This is a reality that people like to sweep under the carpet.

If you approach a player with respect, he will give you that respect back, but sometimes fans are just critical.

People think racist abuse stops on the football pitch, but that's just the beginning. When you go home, you are still confronted with it. Football is just a magnifying glass of the real world.

The Champions League is so difficult, It's like a lottery: sometimes you're just unlucky.

It is a lot easier to manage at a big club rather than at a smaller one. Look at Frank Rijkaard. At Sparta Rotterdam, he was disastrous - and then went to Barca and won everything.

The past can influence the future. When you finish one chapter, you open another, which will be influenced by what you've just lived through.

I love London. It is such a melting pot. Everything is here.

I have my own brand called Monta, including a specially designed street soccer ball made out of a denim material which fades like your old jeans when used.

The only person who can help Balotelli is Balotelli.

Ronaldo is just an athlete. He works so hard and back to back; he is always there. But if you work hard, can you be like Messi? No, that's impossible. Can you be like Ronaldo? Yes, to a certain extent.

Ask most people, and they will say their name or profession, but you have to know who you are both physically and mentally. It's really important in football because then you know your trigger points, how to adapt and improve.

I know him very well, but I think Alessandro Del Piero knows himself the best, better than everyone else, so only he can answer the question if he needs to stop or needs to play. It's his own decision.

I think it's always unfair, but, if you are Neymar or Messi or Suarez, people expect every week back-to-back goals or brilliant performances.

That is life: you have to deal with things, and it's up to you how you deal with things. That's what makes you mature or not. If you can get the best out of yourself, that's all that matters. If you do that, nobody is arguing.

People don't see the determination behind getting on the pitch every week.

Visually, my trademarks have always been my glasses and hair.

I think it's important to condemn that. There's a line, and if you have a racial - racist comment, no, somebody has to act upon it.

I can't even remember playing a game without pain.

I played street soccer; that's where I started. If you look at South America, that's why they have technical players.

Football will never see another Alessandro Del Piero.