Soccer is such a brilliant sport, and while it is not as popular here in the US as it is in other parts of the world, it is starting to receive the recognition it deserves.
Not only is soccer a great sport, but over the years it has produced some absolute sporting legends. The talent of players such as Pele, Ronaldo, Messi, Maradonna, and Zidane, for example.
Not only do they bring raw talent that is idolized by fans, but they are also an inspiration to many.
During our time of watching soccer, many influential players have said some great quotes. In this article, we have decided to compile a list of all of our favorite quotes for you to take a look at.
We have included some inspirational, funny, powerful, and motivational quotes to name a few. We hope that these quotes will help to lift your spirits and provide you with a few laughs.
While there are thousands of football quotes to choose from these are the best 100 to date (in our opinion of course). Feel free to play the field and score some of your own too!
20 Funny Quotes:
Here are some funny quotes that soccer players have said over the years. Be warned, some of these quotes will make you laugh.
Let us just say that we are sure soccer players are grateful that the game is based on their abilities rather than brains!
1. "Everything in our favor was against us." - Danny Blanchflower
2. "I couldn't settle in Italy; it was like living in a foreign country." - Ian Rush
3. "We have not resorted to that, but I'll tell you, you can tell him now if you're watching it, we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and... and... I'll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them, love it!" - Kevin Keegan
4. “Winning doesn’t really matter as long as you win.” - Vinny Jones
5. "I think that France, Germany, Spain, Holland, and England will join Brazil in the semi-finals." - Pele
6. "I've had 14 bookings this season; eight of which were my fault, but seven of which were disputable." - Paul Gascoigne
7. Interviewer - “What would you be if you weren’t a [soccer player]?” Peter Crouch - “A virgin.”
8. "One year I played 15 months." - Franz Beckenbauer
9. “We lost because we didn’t win.” - Ronaldo
10. "The team was the best player on the pitch." - İlkay Gündoğan
11. "Predictions are, only for after the game." - João Domingos Pinto's
12. "I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league." - Mark Viduka
13. "Well, Clive, it’s all about the two M’s—movement and positioning." - Ron Atkinson
14. "We're definitely going to get Brooklyn christened, but we don't know into which religion." - David Beckham
15. "They're the second-best team in the world, and there's no higher praise than that." - Kevin Keegan
16. "Any manager will tell you that they would rather win one and lose two than to draw three because you get more points." - Les Ferdinand
17. "I’d like to play for an Italian club, like Barcelona." - Mark Draper.
18. “You can’t say my team aren’t winners. They’ve proved that by finishing fourth, third and second in the last three years.” - Gerard Houllier
19. “We must have had 99 percent of the game. It was the other three percent that cost us the match.” – Ruud Gullit
20. “There is no in-between – you’re either good or bad. We were in-between.” – Gary Lineker
Motivational And Inspirational Quotes:
Here are 20 of the most motivational and inspirational quotes about soccer from soccer players and coaches. While soccer is such a passionate sport, it can be easy to become disheartened when playing it.
Sometimes it can be helpful to reflect on quotes by some of the best soccer players in the world. We all go through tough times in our lives and often it can be helpful to hear some motivational words from your favorite players.
These quotes emphasize how important believing in yourself is and how hard work is often even more important than raw talent. The majority of these quotes speak for themselves and do not need any explaining.
21. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” - Pele
22. “Dreams are not what you see in your sleep, dreams are things which do not let you sleep.” - Christiano Ronaldo
23. “You can’t score a goal if you don’t take a shot.” - Johan Cruijff
24. “Talent Without Working Hard Is Nothing.” - Christiano Ronaldo
25. “You owe it to yourself to be the best you can be” - Christian Pulisic
26. “As a kid, you obviously dream of being a professional footballer [soccer player]. I would watch players like Ronaldo of Brazil and pretend to be him on the playground. But I don’t think about trying to become one of the best in the world or anything like that. I just play football [soccer].” - Gareth Bale
27. “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” - Lionel Messi
28. “The first 90 minutes are the most important.” - Sir Robert “Bobby” Robson
29. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning” - Pelé
30. “When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.” - Diego Maradona
31. “The secret is to believe in your dreams; in your potential that you can be like your star, keep searching, keep believing and don’t lose faith in yourself.” - Neymar
32. “The wonderful thing about soccer is, a football [soccer ball] is a perfectly round object, and it doesn’t make mistakes. The player using it makes mistakes. And the more you use it, the less mistakes you make.” - Craig Johnston
33. “If you’re going to be a footballer [soccer player], be a great one. If you’re going to have a dream, dream big.” - Sir Alex Ferguson
34. “The person that said winning isn’t everything never won anything.” - Mia Hamm
35. “God gives gifts to everyone, some can write, some can dance. He gave me the skill to play football [soccer] and I am making the most of it.” – Ronaldinho
36. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” - Pele
37. “Keep working even when no one is watching.” - Alex Morgan
38. “There is no pressure when you are making a dream come true.” – Neymar Jr.
39. “Take the risk, or lose the chance.” – Eden Hazard
40. “I once cried because I had no shoes to play soccer, but one day, I met a man who had no feet.” – Zinedine Zidane
Quotes About Being A Team:
In soccer, teamwork is essential. While you can be a fantastic soccer player individually, a good player is nothing without the support and passes from their teammates.
These ten quotes all emphasize the importance of teamwork and ensuring that you are not taking your team for granted. The team around you is so important and this is never something that should be overlooked on the pitch.
41. “All goalscorers go on droughts. It is how you cope with that. And it is not just about scoring, it is about what you bring to the team, bringing others into play and getting assists.” – Harry Kane
42. “I’ve never scored a goal in my life without getting a pass from someone else.” – Abby Wambach
43. “I worry when I can’t help the team with everything I have to offer.” – Luis Suarez
44. “Our country has been through difficult experiences in terms of unity. Sport — football in particular — has the power to help that. It is a special feeling.” – Gareth Southgate
45. “Teammates are critical to your success. The reality is no matter how good you are, you can’t score if they don’t pass you the ball, you can’t win if they don’t stop the other team.” - Alex Morgan
46. “I’m lucky to be part of a team who help to make me look good, and they deserve as much of the credit for my success as I do for the hard work we have all put in on the training ground.” – Lionel Messi
47. “A lot of people, when a guy scores a lot of goals, think, ‘He’s a great player’ because a goal is very important, but a great player is a player who can do everything on the field. He can do assists, encourage his colleagues, give them confidence to go forward. It is someone who, when a team does not do well, becomes one of the leaders.” – Pelé
48. “I am constantly being asked about individuals. The only way to win is as a team. Football [soccer] is not about one or two or three-star players.” – Pelé
49. “The team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” - Mia Hamm
50. “You don’t inspire your teammates by showing them how amazing you are. You inspire them by showing them how amazing they are” – Robyn Benincasa
Quotes About Soccer Fans:
These 10 quotes are about soccer fans. Some are funny quotes and others emphasize how important the game is too many people. Soccer is more than just a game to players, managers, and fans alike.
While players and managers are the most important part of the game, the fans are an essential support system that keeps the club going. Without the fans, soccer would not hold the same importance.
51. “In his life, a man can change wives, political parties or religions but he cannot change his favorite soccer team.” - Eduardo Galeano
52. “The natural state of the football [soccer] fan is bitter disappointment, no matter what the score.” - Nick Hornby
53. “When your own fans whistle and jeer, then you have a big problem.” – Zinedine Zidane
54. “When you start supporting a football [soccer] club, you don't support it because of the trophies, or a player, or history, you support it because you found yourself somewhere there; found a place where you belong.” - Dennis Bergkamp
55. “Some people think football [soccer] is a matter of life and death, I don’t like that attitude. I can assure them it is much more serious than that.” - Bill Shankly
56. “Football [soccer] fans share a universal language that cuts across many cultures and many personality types. A serious football [soccer] fan is never alone. We are legion, and football [soccer] is often the only thing we have in common.” - Hunter S. Thompson
57. “Football [soccer] is nothing without fans” - Jock Stein
58. “The most important thing about football [soccer] - is that it is not just about football [soccer]” - Terry Pratchett
59. “In football [soccer], the worst blindness is only seeing the ball” - Nelson Falcao Rodrigues
60. “The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they do not know the game” - Bill Shankly
Quotes from female Soccer Players:
While women’s soccer is still not as popular as men’s football, it has grown in popularity over recent years. It is equally important for women and girls to feel represented and respected.
These next ten quotes both talk about women’s soccer and the majority are from female soccer players.
61. “Whenever people say ‘women’s soccer,’ I want to correct them to say ‘soccer.’ Every girl has had their sport diminished because they’re girls.” - Alex Morgan
62. “There’s no better feeling than stepping out on the field and stunning them all by doing what none of them thought you could do.” — Ashlyn Harris
63. “Alright, call me a tomboy. Tomboys get medals. Tomboys win championships. Tomboys can fly. Oh. And tomboys aren’t boys.” — Julie Foudy
64. “We need to have women in more powerful positions that are making decisions, so when that 10-year-old girl is looking up and wondering, ‘What can I do and what do I want to be when I get older?’ She has the opportunity to do and be whatever she wants.” — Abby Wambach
65. “It’s about standing up and being counted and saying you’re proud of who you are.” — Megan Rapinoe
66. “Every single day I woke up and commit to myself to become a better player” - Mia Hamm
67. “I think women’s soccer is so important. Soccer is the biggest sport for little girls. It’s so important for us to give these girls a dream and something they can aspire to be.” - Lauren Holiday
68. “No excuses. Play like a champion.” - Kelley O’Hara
69. “Do what you love. If you love something, you aren’t going to care about the sacrifices you’re making to do whatever it is.” - Kelly O’Hara
70. “Many people say I’m the best women’s soccer player in the world. I don’t think so. And because of that, someday I just might be.” - Mia Hamm
Manager Soccer Quotes
These quotes are either taken from soccer managers or about managers. They cover a wide range of topics from the game itself, to what it is like to manage a soccer team.
71. ‘It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.’ - Bill Nicholson
72. “I never succeeded in bringing to the field what was going on in my brain. I had the talent for the fifth division and the mind for the Bundesliga. The result was a career in the second division.” - Jurgen Klopp
73. “My job is to give people who work hard all week something to enjoy on Saturdays and Wednesdays.” - Arsene Wenger
74. "It was a very simple team talk. All I used to say was: “Whenever possible, give the ball to George Best.” - Sir Matt Busby
75. “I have 23 top players and they are all ready to put on the jersey and work on the pitch and that makes you happy and then you have peace of mind.” – Diego Maradona
76. “If you put the wrong petrol in the car it’s not going to go very far. For a human being it’s exactly the same, you have to prepare the right way” - Arsene Wenger
77. “If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all” - Arsene Wenger
78. “I am here just to learn, to improve, to help my team improve.” - Pep Guardiola
79. “Anyone can play a game of football [soccer], you see a game on Sunday, pub games, they all love a game of football [soccer]. The real players had a practice ethic about them.” - Alex Ferguson.
80. “I don’t divide football [soccer] into attacking and defending. In football [soccer], everything depends on everything” - Pep Guardiola
Soccer Quotes For Children
Here are 10 quotes about children and them developing a love for soccer.
81. “All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and someone who believes in them” - Magic Johnson
82. “Courage doesn’t mean that you’re not afraid. It means you keep trying even if you are afraid.” - Soccer-for-kids.com
83. “Kids must enjoy it. You choose to do the things you enjoy any chance you get. A coach cannot give you skills. Practice and the streets will give you skill. I always had a ball at my feet, I was always playing on the streets” - Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
84. “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up” - Vince Lombardi
85. “Everything is practice.” – Pelé
86. “Before kids can play like a pro, they must enjoy playing the game like a kid.” - Steve Locker
87. “One of my biggest influences of all time would probably be one of my soccer coaches, Coach Darlington, from high school. He was always trying to get me to push myself really hard. No excuses. I always hated him, but it paid off. I think that’s what life is all about… when you push through the hard stuff and it pays off.” – Jonny Weston
88. “If you want to be a professional soccer player, if you want to make the national team, you have to do everything possible to work hard. You’ve got to put it number one.” - Carli Lloyd
89. “You have to dream big and go for it. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and ignore those who try to bring you down. Never give up, no matter what – overcoming obstacles makes you stronger!” - Shannon MacMillan
90. “You owe it to yourself to be the best you can be.” - Christian Pulisic
Soccer Quotes About Life
The final 10 soccer quotes are about life in general. While they can be applied to soccer, they emphasize the importance of happiness and believing in yourself in all aspects of your life.
91. “I think, really, that the only way a person can open their heart to someone who is so much another is really by knowing them… whether that’s in a classroom or a soccer team” – Elizabeth Strout
92. “The secret is to believe in your dreams; in your potential that you can be like your star, keep searching, keep believing and don’t lose faith in yourself.” - Neymar
93. “Life is like a game of soccer. You need goals. If there are no goals in your life then you can’t win.” - Unknown Author
94. “I learned all about life with a ball at my feet” - Ronaldinho
95. “Everything I know about morality and the obligations of men, I owe it to football [soccer].” - Albert Camus
96. “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” – David Beckham
97. “My private life is perfect. If your private life and your life outside football is good, then it is good on the field for you.” – David Beckham
98. “Find a type of exercise that you love – whether it’s dance, soccer, softball, anything – just as long as it keeps you active. If you love it, you’ll dedicate yourself to it and stay involved.” – Francia Raisa
99. “It seems that soccer tournaments create those relationships: people gathered together in pubs and living rooms, a whole country suddenly caring about the same event. A World Cup is the sort of common project that otherwise barely exists in modern societies.” - Simon Kuper
100. "The secret is to believe in your dreams; in your potential that you can be like your star, keep searching, keep believing and don’t lose faith in yourself.” – Neymar
Summary
We have chosen to share with your our top 100 quotes because we feel that quotes are powerful. Not only can they be a great insight into a specific person, but they can be extremely helpful too.
Often, if we are not sure how to feel about a certain situation, or we are not sure how to express our emotions, a good quote can do this for us instead. In addition to this, quotes help to lift our moods and spirits, especially if they are funny or motivational.
If you need a laugh, cheering up, or some encouragement about football in general, we hope that you have found these quotes useful.
Soccer is such an important game to many people across the globe and it does take up a big chunk of someone’s life. It is great to have a passion for playing a sport, or watching and supporting a team. Soccer provides this escapism and sense of team support to many, and these football quotes help to express this.
We hope that at least one of these quotes has inspired you and will stick with you for years to come!
