Top 93 Quotes & Sayings by Granit Xhaka

I never hesitate to go into a tackle, and I don't go onto the pitch to pull out of a challenge.

The Premier League is not my goal but a childhood dream. It is a dream that could be fulfilled.

I have learned one thing in my life: If I put too much pressure on myself, then everything goes wrong.

I have never had any contact with Bayern Munich, let alone have agreed personal terms.

Moving to England, again it's a new language to learn, and I've got to get use to the mentality, the culture, but I think I've integrated myself really well into this team, and I'm happy so far.

I have a good relationship with the Albanian fans. But when you are called a traitor - that is such a harsh word. Most of the Albanian fans respect me. But 'traitor' is unacceptable considering the background of my family.

I knew before I arrived that the pressure at a club that challenges for the title grows quickly. The season is long; we'll become stronger with every game.

There a lot of occasions when Albanians cause trouble, but then we are also very nice people. People sometimes forget that there are good people from the Balkans as well.

A club like Arsenal, it's normal that expectations are high. This club must compete for titles, and that's what we want to do.

I still want to improve in every way. I'm a young player. I want to work, and that's my aim: to improve in every single aspect of my play.

It's aggressive, and I like the way Arsenal play football. It's not like other countries, but it's very, very nice here.

Arsenal were really interested in me for a long time, and I think that I fit into the football Arsenal play.

Everyone fights for everyone else. If someone has a bad day, then the others are there for him. And if a player makes a mistake, then the others can compensate for that. Those sorts of things are crucial at this level, and it's really important that we perform as a unit.

One of the most revealing details about my parents is that they only got together three months before my dad's arrest.

He's not a coach who speaks to you every day. Wenger has spoken to me two or three times. He's told me he's very impressed by how I train and how I'm a disciplined character.

In games, you notice there's more sprints than in Bundesliga. It takes a while to get used to.

I'll give my all on the pitch, as I have in recent years. That's what is important. We will give our all to win something.

The first few months in a new country are always really hard.

It's not like I played my first football match in England. For me, football is pretty much the same everywhere; the ball is round, but maybe tactically, things are different than at other clubs I've played for.

Ottmar is a big coach and a good gentleman. I don't know if I'm a young Schweinsteiger; I'm another player. I am Granit Xhaka.

What happens here, the daily agenda of Arsenal, is very different from what I experienced in Monchengladbach.

You always need a certain amount of time to fully adjust; it was no different when I moved to the Bundesliga.

I am a very simple man. I love normality, and I love normal people. I love to eat normal food. It's how I grew up.

Maybe if I was born in Kosovo, I might not be where I am now, so I need to thank Switzerland, of course, because I went to school there, learnt to play football there, and started my career there.

It's in my head that I am a leader, and captaining Monchengladbach was very good for me.

I wouldn't change myself for anybody. I am who I am; people accept me, or they don't. I have my strengths and my weaknesses, which I can try to improve upon, of course. I'm still not the finished product.

My game is about being aggressive, and I'm not the same player if you take that away from me.

London is really nice, and I'm really happy here, but, of course, I've moved here to play football and not just to be in the city.

The fans are amazing. I'm really happy here at Arsenal, and I'm going to do my best for this club.

I think in football everything is possible.

I think every new player needs time when they come to a new club and a new country, and I certainly did.

I know that there are coaches in the Bundesliga that have said in team meetings, 'Provoke Xhaka; he will eventually go ballistic.' I think that is sad. That, in my view, has nothing to do with football.

I'm looking forward to the new adventure. Playing in the Premier League was always my dream, and I'm definitely going to relish this opportunity and give my absolute everything for this club.

I know I've made mistakes, and sometimes I've talked about things too openly or directly. That wasn't good, and I've learned from that.

No, Borussia is not falling apart. It does not matter whichever players will leave. That is what the past has showed. The club has developed and actually improved despite big-name players leaving.

We always have hope. Hope dies last.

I remember I was young, and the first game I watched was in the Premier League. It's a big dream for me, and now that I'm here, I am very, very happy.

It's difficult to say no when Manchester City want you and you could play there. That much I have to admit.

Arsenal prepare the players in the best way. They pay attention to every detail. We are able to recover optimally during our flights. The food and the service, everything's geared perfectly to each other.

In the past, we showed that we could play football, but Vladimir Petkovic has worked with us on the psychological side of things in particular. I think that's where we've made the most progress. He's brought us closer together as a team.

Personally, I can handle criticism, especially when it is deserved, and it's because my dad never, ever said 'Well done' to me. He did it on purpose so that I kept my feet on the ground.

I'm a person who thinks realistically but has dreams and fantasies as well.

Family is the most important thing to me. Especially my brother Taulant - we talk about everything together.

If you win, you're heroes. But if you don't, then you're losers. That might sound harsh, but that's the way it is.

In Camden, it's just the atmosphere that gets me. It's simple. It's nice. It's real. And it's the people, too. I like to interact with them because they are normal and I am normal. People probably don't expect an Arsenal player to come to Camden Lock and, basically, be a normal guy.

I'm going to give my best and not worry about transfer fees or anything like that.

I compliment Kramer perfectly. We both put in a lot of legwork, win many balls, and we're comfortable with the ball at our feet. We also talk a lot both off and on the pitch.

Arsenal play attractive football, and I enjoy that. I think you could see against the MLS side that this team has a lot of quality, and we'll give our all to show that on the pitch.

Every Monday, we're asked to undertake jump tests to check the conditions of our muscles. There's nothing you can hide. Once a week, they do urine tests, and your body fat percentage is tested regularly. The doctors cover all bases.

When I was younger, even though I had a big brother, my parents would give me the house key every day.

In Germany, you can play aggressively, but the referee will always blow his whistle, but in England, that's not the case. That's better for me.

People who know me know that I don't talk about the play-offs. It's not an issue for me at all.

You can't afford to rest on your laurels at all, or you'll instantly be on the bench.

To have six years of professional football under my belt already is really something.

My dad played football, too, in the former Yugoslavia.

I don't mind being criticised, because I am not that easy to knock down, and no-one can destroy me. But I am bothered by the stupid people who call me dirty, brainless, and an idiot. You don't say words like these to someone who you know nothing about.

When I went to Gladbach from Basel in 2012, I put a lot of pressure on myself at first, and it was too heavy. I will not put any pressure on myself at Arsenal, even though the transfer fee was high.

My brother was always going to go in the direction of football. With me, it was more between school and football. Eventually, it worked out for both of us. We're pleased to have gone down that path. I'm proud that my parents always supported us, in good and in bad times. You need that.

I like to play football. I'm an aggressive player and also a leader.

You can see the players are world-class just by the way they pass the ball. Ozil, Sanchez, and Cazorla, for example, are huge personalities. Even though the club maybe spent more money on me, I can still learn a lot from them in any respect.