A Quote by Quique Setien
I told Cruyff I'd have given my little finger to have played for his team, but not just to play at Barcelona but for how they played, because I saw how the players enjoyed themselves.
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I really liked Stoichkov when he played at Barcelona. I played in his position then... more or less! I loved to watch him on matchdays because of the personality he showed team-mates and fans.
It's football. You play football. You just play injured. That's how it is. A lot of it comes from my dad. He played for Hayden Fry University in the '80s. He used to tell me about the injuries he played with. One time he tore his ACL in Week 6 and then played in the Rose Bowl in Week 12. So, if he could do that, I can do anything.
Of course Lothar Matthaus is always going to be associated with the 1990 World Cup. But does everyone immediately remember what titles Gunter Netzer, Johan Cruyff or Luis Figo won? Or do they also think about how those players played their football and how they led their teams?
A system depends on the players you have. I played 4-3-3 with Ajax, 2-3-2-3 with Barcelona and a 4-4-2 with AZ. I'm flexible. The philosophy stays the same though. I don't think that you can adapt it to every possible situation. You need the right mindset, and it depends on how the players see the coach and vice versa. The coach is the focal point of the team but you need to have an open mind, and so do all the players. Everyone needs to work together to achieve a common goal.
I played street hockey in Riverside Park when I was a kid. I played goalie. I didn't make the hockey team in college, so I played lacrosse instead. I didn't play hockey again for 20 to 25 years, and then my son became interested in the game. I decided to pick it up again. A friend let me play backup on his team.
I've played lacrosse players, football players, basketball players. I think that's just because of how I'm built. I look young, and I'm also a big person.
Cruyff's idea was, quite literally, to play football - nothing more, nothing less. His idea of how football should be played was based not on controlling the opponent, but on the ball and the game.
I was very fortunate when I was little - I played basketball. You really absolutely learn how to be a team player, how to win a game, to accomplish things, not just for yourself.
I'd say the player whose style most resembles mine would be Neymar. That's because I played with a sense of joy and you can see that he feels the same and really enjoys his own play. He doesn't play for himself or just to entertain the fans - he plays for his team. He uses his quality and skill for the good of the team.
When I played for Barcelona, I knew that some home games were going to be easier than some others, as the team had plenty of confidence. That confident mentality helped Barcelona players win games.
I played in Europe and it was a great experience, not just because of my team-mates and the coaches we had, but from the fans and the city itself - I played in Gothenburg and I played in Lyon and soccer was everywhere.
The one thing I learnt going to Italy was there's no real change in how the game should be played, but how players look after themselves.
When I was a child I had a dream to become a football player. I always played as I played when I was a child. I tried to improve. I never dreamt of becoming a professional football player, I dreamed just to play with the best players in the best team. I never dreamed to be paid to play. I would have paid to play an FA Cup Final in front of 80,000 people in Wembley. I just tried to play the wonderful game that football is. So, I hope young players will still have this dream.
It was a great time in my career, playing for Barcelona with the best players in the world, in the best team in the world at that moment. It was amazing for me. I can always say to anyone that I played at Barcelona with Messi, with Xavi, with Iniesta, with Pedro, with Pique. And we won a lot of trophies.
One of the neatest things I saw with the team at Ohio State - and we preach about it all the time as coaches - is that the team genuinely played for the happiness, success and rings on the finger for the guy next to them.
Sergio Aguero, everyone knows how good his finishing is, but to play up against him... these top players, until I played against them I didn't realise how good they were.
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