A Quote by Dries Mertens
Football in Italy is like a wonderful sickness, because people are infected with this love for the sport from childhood to old age.
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Football is an awesome sport, but it's also a violent sport, and that's why all of us love it. We know what we checked in for, and at seven years of age, that's what I wanted to do with my life, and I didn't care that I got hurt.
For someone like me, who loves this sport, Naples is a wonderful place. This is an incredible city where football comes first, followed by everything else. The fans live for football.
Like childhood, old age is irresponsible, reckless, and foolhardy. Children and old people have everything to gain and nothing much to lose. It's middle-age which is cursed by the desperate need to cling to some finger-hold halfway up the mountain, to conform, not to cause trouble, to behave well.
In Italy, football is too important. There is more pressure on coaches, teams, directors. Now is not a good moment for football in Italy. The stadiums are not full. There are problems with violence; it's very difficult with the ultras. People don't go to the stadium just to enjoy 90 minutes of football. People go to the stadium to fight, to win.
I play football because I love the sport so much and for the sake of playing football.
Italy will start the future. Because in the last 20, 20 years, Italy discussed only about the past. "Oh, the past is wonderful in Italy." Look, look Palazzo Vecchio. The most beautiful place in the world, in my opinion, I think this is incredible place. But the past is not sufficient. Is not enough. We need the future. Because we are Italians. And Italy is not only a museum.
The problem of Italy is not really a question of age. Japan has an older population, and it is now in full economic recovery. The problem is that Italy is old in the structure of the society.
I started playing football when I was ten years old, and the main reason was because I wanted to make my parents proud. I didn't even like the sport at the time, but it didn't matter to me.
I love Italy; in Italy, I grew up like a man and like a player. I felt Italy like a family.
In childhood, we yearn to be grown-ups. In old age, we yearn to be kids. It just seems that all would be wonderful if we didn't have to celebrate our birthdays in chronological order.
I have spent a lot of time in Italy throughout my career - especially when I was karting, because it's kind of the world centre of that sport - and I love it.
Football is more disputed in England than it is in Italy. Every match is a very hard match because the referee doesn't blow his whistle as much as in Italy, and every team plays against each other like it is a final.
In no other country is football lived like it is in Italy, almost to the point of overkill. There is too much football on TV and in the papers, there is always talk about football during the week.
Let your old age be childlike, and your childhood like old age; that is, so that neither may your wisdom be with pride, nor your humility without wisdom.
It ticks me off to hear people say, 'Hey man, at your age you don't look like you're slowing down a bit.' Like, can I just be a football player? Why does the 33 age have to coincide with me when you talking football?
I am very obsessed with ballet now because it is a very difficult sport and a beautiful one because it is not about money. It's not like playing football or tennis - dance has no sponsors, it's just for the beauty. Maybe it is the only last pure sport.
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