Top 72 Quotes & Sayings by Landon Donovan
Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American athlete Landon Donovan.
Last updated on November 21, 2024.
I sure am handsome. I can't lie. This is one handsome guy.
I know conventional wisdom has always been to go to Europe, and I did that early on, and I tried it, but I realised pretty quickly if I wasn't playing, nothing else mattered - I wasn't going to be happy.
The advantage doesn't come because you can run more than someone over 90 minutes. The advantage comes when, in the tenth minute, I'm sprinting back and making another guy chase me. By the end of the game, that guy's worn down, but I can still keep going at the same pace.
As athletes, we all have egos, we all think we can help, and when you're not given that chance, it's hard to watch.
As athletes, most of the time we deal with fans cussing at us, saying how much we suck.
When you're with your club team, every week you have a performance to judge. But when you're with the national team, it's a little different because you might not play for three or four months at a time. Things change constantly.
Life isn't perfect, of course, but we all know it's how you react to things that counts.
I miss driving to Goodison Park. I miss just the positive energy of the fans walking into the stadium and how much they care about that club and the team. And I miss the players a lot.
The biggest thing for me with charity is awareness. Obviously as an athlete, I have an opportunity to make people more aware. The average person doesn't have that opportunity, so the best way is to spare some money, clothing, food - something. Most of us have a little excess of something that we can give.
Skin cancer became personal to my family when my father was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma.
There was this old soccer game called 'Goal' for the old Nintendo, and ever since then, I've played everything from the old school games to the 360.
I got to say 'Hi' to Dolly Parton, which my mom thought was kind of cool.
I've never asked a player if they would sign my shoe.
I talk periodically with the producers at EA and I try to be as honest as possible because as great as EA does, you just don't want to hear good things. These people are really passionate about making games and making them as realistic as possible.
When people say 'American soccer,' they think of the U.S. national team. But American soccer also includes Major League Soccer, and until we have a league that produces players at the rate other leagues around the world do, I don't believe we'll ever get to where we want to be.
You got me: I do Pilates. I love Pilates because we do very specific training in soccer for the same six or seven muscles, but we neglect so many other muscles. So when I do Pilates, it helps get all the rest of the muscles in shape and gets them working together.
I think all players reach a point in their career where it's natural to lose some of that hunger, that desire, to sort of break out or be a star.
A lot of times I watch sporting events, and there are things I want to say and things I see that don't get said or talked about.
I want to be a positive influence. I want to be someone who they want to call in and want here consistently, regardless of my role.
I have to be able to be honest and be credible, and I think I can say, 'This guy did not have his best game today' rather than, 'He is awful and I cannot believe he did that.'
Unfortunately, I think there's not enough education about hydration. When I was young, we knew nothing about it. We all know that there's cases of athletes having serious issues because of dehydration and even dying.
You put a lot of pressure on your defenders to be able to hold the fort when you go forward.
My brother and I have always had this theory that, as stupid as it sounds, in video games, there is a certain hand-eye coordination and a thought process that you can learn.
I don't think in terms of legacy or that kind of stuff. I've always thought that'll take care of itself if I did everything right on a day-to-day basis.
Fortunately, I don't spend too much time reading or worrying about what people have to say, but the goal for me throughout this whole process - throughout my whole life - is to try to be happy.
I grew up playing video games. And the cool thing about the EA Sports games is they took me through the whole motion-capture thing, where they put little sensors on my body so the video game really is me. It actually moves the way I move.
I remember - when I was little, I remember playing 'Tecmo Bowl,' and I would be so excited to be Bo Jackson in the game that I wanted to watch him play in real life.
I like teff, an Ethiopian grain. It's not so popular in the States yet, but it's really good, almost like a porridge. And I love sushi, but it's not always that healthy, so I don't keep it at home.
I've always thought it would be interesting to give insight on soccer because I have a lot of experience in my career.
I've never met anybody who says they don't like the World Cup. If you're a soccer fan or not, everybody loves watching it, and I think it could be the same for other sports.
My guess is that if David Beckham wants Ronaldo's jersey, he's going to get it.
It's got to be harder in real life to win a World Cup. But depending on if you play World Class level on FIFA, it's going to be difficult to win in the video game, too.
I think where we're still a little bit behind some other countries is just our pure soccer knowledge and our savvy on the field. That takes time and generations that have watched soccer growing up, played the game growing up.
I've always been active - outdoors, on the beach, playing - and so to go home and have to sit on my couch and relax... it's frustrating. Sometimes, you just have to really shut yourself down.
I'm a little skeptical of foreign coaches in our league and in U.S. Soccer just because of how different our league is and our players are than other players around the world.
Men are sort of doofuses about sunscreen, and for the most part, women are more inclined to take better care of themselves, but a reminder is always good for everyone.
If you've followed my career at all, you will know that I perform best in comfortable surroundings. Though other leagues may seem more enticing to other players, it's something I'm just not interested in doing personally.
I would probably say that being a commissioner in sports is one of the hardest jobs in the world.
As a spectator, you get to watch everything, but I'd much rather be playing than watching. I'll have time to watch later in my career.
I genuinely want to do my best every day, and I genuinely want to enjoy life every day.
Fortunately for me, it's my most favorite drill, and that is finishing. However, from a young age, soccer players in this country are not taught how to properly finish, and I think you see that through the professional ranks, that we don't have that killer instinct of the forwards from other countries.
I think it's probably a good lesson for other people to follow - to not always make the decision that's popular for others, but to do what you feel like is the right thing to do.
That's a part that's always a challenge for athletes: trying to keep the passion alive while knowing it's still your job. There's no question that at some point, probably sooner rather than later, I'll be pretty burned out. And when that time comes, then I'll take a step back and take a look at it and see if I want to keep going.
There have been weeks when I've not been hydrating properly or not eating properly or training too hard. When I do that, I don't feel good. It has to be the exact formula.
I'm lucky to be doing what I love, and I appreciate that I can make a good living doing it. I love to play soccer-whether it's in a game, practice or playing with friends-so it isn't like I'm under pressure at all.
I used to focus more on scoring. Now I take a lot of pride and pleasure in helping someone else do well.
There is something to be said for waking up every morning and seeing the sun.
The second-highest honor is playing for your country, and the highest honor is wearing the armband for your country. It shows that the players have confidence in me, and that feels good.
I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. We have a new challenge.
Americans love winners, so if we win we know we'll get a lot of support.
Ten years ago, the level was nowhere near what it is today.
(on soccer in the United States)
I think about the things I control and do them well.
Everything balled up into one: Beat Mexico and qualify. There's no better scenario.
Fortunately for me, its my most favorite drill, and that is finishing. However, from a young age, soccer players in this country are not taught how to properly finish, and I think you see that through the professional ranks, that we dont have that killer instinct of the forwards from other countries.
I've never asked a player if they would sign my shoe. I've certainly had players come up, even before the game has started, and say, "Hey, after the game, can we trade jerseys?" It's kind of like, "Well, let's get through the game first and we'll deal with that later."
If you let the reality of the business side get to you, it can turn you, and that's not good at all.
I love winning and any team I'm on, I expect to win.
Family is the most important thing in the world. If everything ended tomorrow and my family was still there, I'd be the happiest man alive.
Most of us are in this more than just for playing soccer. We're in it for the bigger goal - to move it along for the next generation.
I've got a lot to prove to a lot of people, including myself.
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