Soccer Players From England

"In football you need to have everything in your cake mix to make the cake taste right. One little bit of ingredient that Tony uses in his cake gets talked about all the time is Rory’s throw. Call that cinnamon and he’s got a cinnamon flavoured cake. It’s not fair and it’s not right and it’s only a small part of what he does."

"Reporter: Ian, have you got any injury worries? Holloway: No, I'm fully fit, thank you."

"I'd rather do that than build chicken sheds no-one wanted!"

"In the first-half we were like the Dog and Duck, in the second-half we were like Real Madrid. We can't go on like that. At full-time I was at them like an irritated Jack Russell."

"Why haven't they got cameras? The officials can speak to each other easily enough now. Why aren't we using laptops that are linked up and can give a decision in five seconds? A chimpanzee could do it - with not much training. We might as well go back to being cavemen, grab our girl by the hair, drag her into the cave whether she wants to come in or not because we may as well live in that age. We've come forward, haven't we?"

"If you're a burglar, it's no good poncing about outside somebody's house, looking good with your swag bag ready. Just get in there, burgle them and come out. I don't advocate that obviously, it's just an analogy."

"I love Blackpool. We're very similar. We both look better in the dark."

"Apparently it's my fault that the Titanic sank."

"To put it in gentleman's terms if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, some weeks they're good looking and some weeks they're not the best. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She wasn't the best looking lady we ended up taking home but she was very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much, let's have a coffee - on the "ugly" win against Chesterfield."

"I don't think the whole World Cup can rely on Theo Walcott but he can certainly come on and make a difference - and why not start him in a game or two? He is an interesting weapon because he can play wide and centrally. Then, once he is in front of the defender, nobody can catch him. He is a fantastic prospect."

"He has the record on 40 metres. I think it's 4.72 seconds or something like that. Certainly Theo could have been a 100-metre runner."

"I trained with the lad last season at Southampton for two or three weeks. In all the years I played there was never anything I saw on a training pitch that took my breath away, but he was doing things on the pitch that made me stand up and say 'Wow'. He could go on and make a better player than Wayne Rooney."

"He is potentially brilliant, and he is going to be exciting, but potential is nothing unless you can produce it. I would think he's way, way, way, miles away from international World Cup football."

"For me, it is not so surprising England chose him. In training we all notice him because he is confident and very quick."

"The kid can run through puddles and not make a splash. He is lightning quick and drifts over the ground."

"John is naturally somebody who attracts people to follow him, You know how you can dress any way you want, but if you don’t have natural style, it doesn’t matter? John has that leadership naturally."

"I always knew what I wanted to do with my life and career, but I was helped along the way by a few people. I didn't need telling, but when people like Franco (Zola), Wisey (Dennis Wise) and Marcel (Desailly) take the time out to say, 'You've got the world at your feet if you do things right', then you think there must be something to it."

"If you need help with anything, John is always there. And even he has made mistakes, does he have to be reminded of that all his life,"

"He has surprised us all, Maybe he is a bionic man. He recovers very quickly. Maybe he will be on the bench or even start, but we haven’t decided yet. Each injury depends on the person and he is very strong, not just mentally but also physically.""

"I want to thank John Terry for coming into the dressing room and congratulating us, he's a true gentleman."

"The careers of Maldini and that of John Terry are very close in comparison. Like Maldini at AC Milan, Terry was born in this club. Like Maldini, he went through the academy at this club. And he can play until he is 40. I don't see a big difference between them as players or people."

""For me, it's not about Gattuso against Gerrard, despite what he said. For me, Gerrard is the best player in England. He is a technical player, who plays very hard and with his heart. He is a legend for his club and the best player they've got. I have more respect for him because I remember that final in Istanbul. We had won it but then he played a great game and changed everything. I watched him against Chelsea on Tuesday and he was amazing, unbelievable. I still say I have respect for him and like the way he plays. I am looking forward to playing him again and looking him in the eye before it starts. This will be a very important game for us both."

"Gerrard has been my idol for 10 years and is one of the best players in the world. He is the example of what all midfield players aspire to. He is always there in the heat of the battle, leading by example. He is everywhere you look - in defence, in the middle of the pitch and in attack. I would love to be close to that level."

"When people talk about the best footballers in Europe, they always single out Messi, and Ronaldo, but Gerrard is just as strong, Messi and Ronaldo are special talents and the fact that they are in teams winning the important trophies means they stand out from the rest. Maybe you need to win something to earn the big awards, I don't know, but we all understand how good Gerrard is. "I'm spoilt having a team-mate like Gerrard as I can count on him supplying me with perfect passes. You make the run into the space and however tightly marked he is, he finds a way to get the ball through in perfect condition. "The highest compliment I can pay him is that he's as creative as a Xavi at Barcelona, with something extra as well. When you add his energy, toughness, leadership and goal scoring ability and the result is a fantastic all-round player. "Maybe I am biased because he is my team-mate and friend, but Stevie does not get the credit he deserves either in England or with European fans. This can change in 2010 when he has a chance to confirm his class with Liverpool and in the World Cup."

"I couldn't vote for Thierry Henry as the Player of the Year because you can't vote for your own team-mates, reveals Vieira. So I voted for Gerrard. In my opinion he's in the top three midfielders in the world, maybe the best right now."I heard what Alex Ferguson said about him being better than me. He's probably right. Gerrard is England's best player and he single-handedly got Liverpool into the Champions League. He is the complete player. He can score, he has a great final ball, he can tackle and he drives his team forward. He is a winner on the pitch, which is why I really admire him."

"In my own position, I was crazy about [Steven] Gerrard. I remember in the Champions League final comeback by Liverpool against AC Milan, you saw him up front, on the wings, and a moment later he was back, marking the playmaker, I have never seen such a complete midfielder.""

"I had really not seen much of him before this season, apart from for England, but wow. I think of him as being at the same level as Pirlo. Vision, technique, but he is powerful as well. Stevie can do anything. It's going to be very difficult for the team to find another player like him in the future."

"'He is without doubt the greatest player I have ever played with, he has everything. At Liverpool, he is irreplaceable. Every big club has a standard bearer, a home-grown talent, someone with a lifelong commitment to the cause. People come and go but he’s always there. It’s him and 10 others. He’s everything to the side. That’s Steven Gerrard at Liverpool. I can’t even begin to imagine the place without him.'"

"Gerrard is the best player I've ever played with""

"England have always had individually strong players and I am a huge fan of Stevie Gerrard, He has the heart of a lion and is the icon of the modern footballer with his ability to attack and defend so well.""

"If you were looking for the player you would replace Keane with, it's Gerrard, without question. He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but I think that Gerrard does more for his team than Vieira does. To me, Gerrard is Keane; he is now where Keane was when Roy came to us in 1994. I've watched him quite a lot, and everywhere the ball is, he seems to be there. He's got that unbelievable engine, desire, determination. Anyone would love to have Gerrard in their team. Vieira has done that job for Arsenal for two or three years. But you can see Gerrard rising and rising."

"An excellent player, in my opinion, he is a modern player because he is a player who runs, marks, knows how to pass, cross, score goals and he is a leader on the field for Liverpool. So he is a player that I would like to have in my team."

"Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of (Lionel) Messi and Ronaldo but yes, I think he just might be.If you don't have a player like Steven Gerrard, who is the engine room, it can affect the whole team.When we were winning league titles and European Cups at Real, I always said Claude Makelele was our most important player. There is no way myself, (Luis) Figo or Raul would have been able to do what we did without Claude and the same goes for Liverpool and Gerrard. He has great passing ability, can tackle and scores goals, but most importantly he gives the players around him confidence and belief. You can't learn that -- players like him are just born with that presence."

"Steven Gerrard was awesome today. We were just laughing in the dressing room that at one stage we thought he was heading his own crosses in."

"We are preparing a special weightlifting plan for Gerrard's shoulders because we want him to lift a lot of trophies for us in the next few years."

"“But speaking about Liverpool and speaking about honouring the champions, this is my time to honour a champion. It is my time to honour Steve Gerrard. It is with opponents like him that I am the manager that I am, because I learn with my players and I learn with my best opponents. I learn with my players’ problems, my players’ doubts, my players’ qualities and I learn with my best opponent, with the problems they give me – the way they make me think, the way they make me analyse them and studying the best way to play against them. Steven Gerrard is for sure one of my favourite enemies – an enemy with all the good feeling I can express with that word in football. For sure, in England he is my dear enemy. For sure, he is the one that made me a better manager. To stop him or try and stop him has been very, very difficult. I tried to bring him to Chelsea, I tried to bring him to Inter, I tried to bring him to Real Madrid but he was always a dear enemy,” he said “I want to honour him and I hope Stamford Bridge has the same feeling as I have, which is we need people like him as our opponents.”"

"“He’ll absolutely be remembered as one of the greats; for me, he is already one of them. There are so many things [that are good about Steven Gerrard]. He is so inspirational. In the key moments he has that difference – a spark that is difficult to define.”"

"My Hero. My Mate"

"His story is one of those stories to be told, one of those fairytales - just like it happened to me - to be narrated to your children and grandchildren."

"“He’s been a reference to all his team-mates throughout the years and is now in history for such a brilliant career at his club for all his life.”"

"“Steven Gerrard would be the captain of my World XI dream team.”"

"He is undoubtedly one of the best midfield players in the world. Any top club would want him in their side."

"Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Lionel Messi or Xavi from Barcelona deserved the award more. "Ronaldo is only focused on finishing in front of goal. "I love Gerrard's qualities as a player and a leader. Technically and tactically he is the best. His passion is enormous, he means as much for a great team as George Best. "He is a player who fans can identify themselves with and a man who carries the love for his club on his club badge. There is not another player in the world who combines all those qualities. I like him so much more than Ronaldo."

"He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but Gerrard does more."

"He is, in my opinion, the best midfielder in the world, and has a track record for delivering on the big occasions."

"‘He has had a great career winning many things - but it would be a big shame for him if he was never to win the league with Liverpool’. ‘For everything that he has given - he deserves a league title.’ ‘I don't think that is any secret that Real Madrid and Chelsea had big interest in him and that is just the teams the media knew about. ‘He could have played for any team in Europe - but he turned them down. That sort of loyalty should be rewarded with a title.’ ‘England have probably produced the two best midfield players of the last 20 years in Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes,’ ‘There was a point when Gerrard was the best midfield player in the world. It is unusual to get complete midfield players who can do everything, but that is what he was. ‘His legs are not going to be what they were five or six years ago - but his presence and leadership are invaluable for Liverpool.’"

"‘Gerrard is an excellent player, absolutely world-class. If I was a manager, everywhere I went I would buy Steven Gerrard. ‘He is what Brazil needs, because he is always looking forward and has a big heart. ‘Two years ago I saw Gerrard play and then I saw him in Tokyo in a game against Sao Paulo. I said then that Gerrard is a great player. To me he is one of the best midfielders in the world. He is an excellent player.’"

"The fans, they look only for forwards, always a forward," Pele told Sky Sports News. "Somebody who scores. "Sometimes you have a player like Gerrard. "For me, for the last five years Gerrard has been the best player in the world. "He is a midfielder, he plays very good. People didn't mention Gerrard, now they mention Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Messi because they are forwards."

"When Kaka was questioned by British football magazine Four-Four-Two recently as to who he thought was the best player in the world. "That’s a difficult question," he replied. "If I had to choose three, I would pick Cristiano Ronaldo, because of his skill and speed; Messi, because of his flair and skills; and Steven Gerrard, who for me is the complete modern player.""

"He's a player that I really thought a lot of, I had a lot of time for him and rated him. I can't say that about everyone," Zidane told LFCTV. "Why did I like him so much? Perhaps there was something about him that reminded me a little bit of myself. He made a lot of noise out there on the field but was quiet off it, meaning that he was someone down to earth and grounded away from the game who just said what needed to be said. He preferred to do his talking on the field, using his voice, his combative spirit and above all his ability on the ball that could make the difference in a game. I would have really liked to have played alongside him. But he has always remained loyal to his own club, Liverpool, the club of his heart. That also is another characteristic that is particular to him, I don't think there are too many players who have spent their entire career playing for just one club. That is a great strength of his too. It was never possible, because of course he stayed with Liverpool, but I would have loved to play with a guy like him. It's simply that he's one of the few players, and I must come back to his combative spirit here, who is a superb technician, who is great on the ball, but who mixed in those fighting qualities with everything he did."