Kickstart Your Inspiration Motivational Quotes From Soccer Legends

Explore the vibrant tapestry of football’s rich history, woven with colorful characters and unforgettable player quotes.

Delve into the best football quotes that transcend the game, offering a motivational boost for both players and enthusiasts alike.

Whether you’re an active participant in the sport or a passionate spectator, the principles of perseverance, willpower, diligence, and hard work exhibited by individual players and teams resonate beyond the field.

These qualities are not only instrumental in determining championships but also serve as pillars for success in business and life. As a team sport, football imparts valuable lessons in teamwork and effort.

Witness how legendary teams, driven by a shared vision and players willing to sacrifice for the collective, outshine more individually talented opponents throughout history.

Are you seeking legendary, testosterone-fueled, and impassioned football quotes to propel you to new heights?

Your quest ends here! Dive into this collection of inspirational and best football quotes, designed to ignite excellence not only in sports but also in your professional and personal pursuits.

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Motivational Quotes From Soccer Legends

1. “For every pass, I caught in a game, I caught a thousand in practice.” ― Don Hutson

2. “The most valuable player is the one who makes the most players valuable.”

3. “Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” ― George Halas

4. “Football is the most important of the less important things in the world.” ―Carlo Ancelotti

5. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing.” – Pelé

6. “If you want to see the best, you have to do the best.” – Zinedine Zidane

7. “I don’t believe skill was, or ever will be, the result of coaches. It is a result of a love affair between the child and the ball.” – Ron Greenwood

8. “The only victory that counts is the one over yourself.” – Lionel Messi

9. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” – Pelé

10. “I’d rather fail while trying to be brilliant, than succeed being mediocre.” – Samuel Eto’o.

11. “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

12. “Football is all about passion, it’s about fighting for the shirt, for your team, and for the supporters.” – Jürgen Klopp

13. “I’d rather have a player who was 10% talented and 90% professional than the other way round.” – Carlo Ancelotti

14. “The most important quality a player can have is not skill, but mentality.” – Jose Mourinho

15. “Teams don’t learn. Individuals within the team learn. Development is a personal process even when conducted in a team environment.” – Johan Cruyff

16. “I hate to speak about individuals. Players don’t win you trophies, teams win trophies. Squads win trophies.” – Jose Mourinho

17. “In soccer, ability is much more important than shape, and in many cases, skill is the art of turning limitations into virtues.” – Eduardo Galeano 

18. “Don’t be scared to be ambitious. It’s not a humiliation to have a high target and to fail. For me, the real humiliation is to have a target and not to give everything to reach it.” – Arsene Wenger

19. “Leadership must be likable, affable, cordial, and above all emotional. The fashion of authoritarian leadership is gone. Football is about life. You can’t be angry all day.” – Vincent Del Bosque

20. “Many people say I’m the best women’s football player in the world. I don’t think so, and because of that, someday I might just be.” – Mia Hamm

21. “The ball is round, the game lasts ninety minutes, and everything else is just theory.” – Sepp Herberger

22. “I always felt that our triumphs were an expression of the constant application of discipline. Once you bid farewell to discipline you say goodbye to success.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

23. “The interesting thing about coaching is you have to trouble the comfortable, and comfort the troubled.” – Ric Charlesworth

24. “Some people think football 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

25. “I learned all about life with a ball at my feet” – Ronaldinho

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Funny Soccer Quotes

26. “I don’t have time for hobbies. At the end of the day, I treat my job as a hobby. It’s something I love doing.”- David Beckham

27. “When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success.” – Diego Maradona

28. “The first 90 minutes are the most important.” – Bobby Robson

29. “I just hate losing and that gives you an extra determination to work harder.” – Wayne Rooney

30. “I once cried because I had no shoes to play soccer, but one day, I met a man who had no feet.” – Zinedine Zidane

31. “The football field, I’d definitely say that’s my safe place.”

32. “I am not a superstar or an ego. I am just the same as I always was: Someone who plays football.”

33. “In football, you can win or lose. We always have to be together, with the same spirit we’ve always had.”

34. “When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.”

35. “Gentlemen, it is better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football.”

36. “When you don’t give up, you cannot fail.”

37. “I may win and I may lose, but I will never be defeated.”

38. “There is only one way to succeed in anything…and that is to give it everything.”

39. “You cannot make progress with excuses.”

40. “It is my conviction that there are no limits to learning, and that it can never stop, no matter what our age.”

41. “There are people for whom Rangers Football Club is their entire way of life.”

42. “Football is a game you cannot play without making mistakes.”

43. “I don’t believe in luck, I only believe in hard work.” – Zlatan Ibrahimovic

44. “The reason I success is because I’ve never been afraid to fail.” – David Beckham

45. “The only way to get the best out of yourself is by playing with freedom.” – Ryan Giggs

46. “Success is not permanent and failure is not fatal.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

47. “Football is a wonderful game that teaches you how to be a man.” – Zinedine Zidane

48. “Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.” – Johan Cruyff

49. “I see myself as the best footballer in the world. If you don’t believe you are the best, then you will never achieve all that you are capable of.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

50. “You can always improve, you can always get better.” – Ryan Giggs

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Short Soccer Quotes

51. “It’s not about the name on the back of the shirt, it’s about the badge on the front.” – Patrick Viera

52. “If you’re not prepared to run, don’t play the game.” – Roy Keane

53.  “If you do not believe you can do it then you have no chance at all” – Arsene Wenger

54. “To win you have to score one more goal than your opponent.” – Johan Cruyff

55. “Behind every kick of a ball, there has to be a thought.” – Denis Bergkamp

56. “A penalty is a cowardly way to score.” – Pelé

57. “Football is played with your head. Your feet are just the tools.” – Andrea Pirlo

58. “Every disadvantage has got its advantage.” – Johan Cruyff

59. “Football is the ballet of the masses.” – Dmitri Shostakovich

60. “Every defeat is a victory in itself.” – Francisco Maturana García

61. “In football, the worst things are excuses. Excuses mean you cannot grow or move forward.”

62. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

63. “Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.”

64. “You fail all the time. But you aren’t a failure until you start blaming someone else.”

65. “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that.”

66. “Confidence is a massive part of success in football. If you believe in yourself and your team, you can achieve anything.” – Rio Ferdinand

67. “The key to success in football is to be in the right place at the right time.” – Teddy Sheringham

68. “The secret to success in football is to always give your best and never give up.” – Carles Puyol

69. “I always believed in pushing myself to be the best I could be, and that hard work and determination would pay off. I learned that success in football is not just about talent, but also about putting in the effort to improve every day.” – Thierry Henry

70. “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Arjen Robben

71. “The greatest reward for a player is to see the joy in the faces of the fans.” – Franz Beckenbauer

72. “Success is not only about winning, but also about learning from your failures and making the necessary adjustments to improve.” – Sergio Ramos

73. “The beautiful game is all about having fun and enjoying yourself. That’s what I try to do every time I step onto the field.” – Ronaldinho

74. “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – George Best

75. “I think soccer is a great game because it brings people together. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what language you speak, soccer unites everyone.” – Marco Van Basten

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Motivational Soccer Quotes

76. “We don’t want our players to be monks. We want them to be better football players because a monk does not play football at this level.” – Bobby Robson

77. “I couldn’t be more chuffed if I was a badger at the start of mating season.” – Ian Holloway

78. “If you eat caviar every day it is difficult to return to sausages.” – Arsene Wenger

79. “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.” – Gary Lineker

80. “Dilly ding dilly dong” – Claudio Ranieri

81. “Sometimes maybe good. Sometimes maybe ****.” – Gennaro Gattuso

82. “Do I not like that” – Graham Taylor

83. “Why do you want Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?” – Jack Walker

84. “I think you are an ostrich.” – Nigel Pearson

85. “That lad must have been born offside” – Alex Ferguson

86. “You can have all the ability in the world, but if you don’t have the right attitude, you’ll never be a great player.” – Dwight Yorke

87. “It’s not about being the best player, it’s about being the right player.” – Gary Neville

88. “I was never the quickest, but I could anticipate where the ball was going and get there first.” – Paul Scholes

89. “To be a good soccer player, you need to be able to see the game in slow motion. You need to be able to see the spaces and be two steps ahead of your opponents.” – Gerd Muller

90. “You have to play with intensity, with courage, and always be thinking about winning.” – Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima

91. “You can learn a lot from losing. You can learn how to handle disappointment and come back stronger the next time.” – Marco Van Basten

92. “I always believed in myself and in my qualities, even when others didn’t.” – Luka Modric

93. “The best way to prove yourself is to play with pride and passion.” – Tony Adams

94. “In soccer, it’s not just about the final score, it’s also about the journey and the memories you create along the way.” – Martin Keown

95. “The only guarantee with football is that there are no guarantees.” – George Best

96. “When you are 4-0 up you should never lose 7-1.” – Lawrie McMenemy

97. “Sandro’s holding his face. You can tell from that it’s a knee injury.” – Dion Dublin

98. “Frank Lampard still has the same legs he had five years ago.” – Ray Wilkins

99. “We must have had 99 percent of the game. It was the other three percent that cost us the match.” – Ruud Gullit

100. “I’m 30 now, but back when I was 19…that’s seven years ago.” – Lee Bowyer

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Famous Soccer Quotes

101. “I don’t believe in superstitions. I just do certain things because I’m scared in case something will happen if I don’t do them.” – Michael Owen

102. “Well, Clive, it’s all about the two M’s—movement and positioning.” – Ron Atkinson

103. “I’ve had 14 bookings this season—eight of which were my fault, but seven of which were disputable.” – Paul Gascoigne

104. “They’re the second-best team in the world, and there’s no higher praise than that.” – Kevin Keegan

105. “One accusation you can’t throw at me is that I’ve always done my best.” – Alan Shearer

106. “You can’t win if you don’t score.” – Thomas Muller

107. “I would rather fail with ambition than succeed with nothing.” – Zlatan Ibrahimovic

108. “The more I practice, the luckier I get.” – Gary Player

109. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” – Arrigo Sacchi

110. “A good coach makes players see what they can be, rather than what they are.” – Ariël Jacobs

111. “Dream. Sacrifice. Work Hard.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

112. “”My goal has always been to be a better player tomorrow than I am today.” – Dani Alves

113. “The only way to improve is to play against the best.” – Pep Guardiola

114. “The most important quality a player can have is not skill, but mentality.” – Jose Mourinho

115. “Aim for the sky and you’ll hit the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you’ll stay on the floor.” – Bill Shankly

116. “I wouldn’t say I was the top manager in the business but I would say I was in the top one.” – Brian Clough

117. “I think in England you eat too much sugar and meat and not enough vegetables.” – Arsene Wenger

118. “I’ve never played for a draw in my life.” – Alex Ferguson

119. “To be sitting on the bench behind somebody who only started to play when he was 30 is not funny.” – Jens Lehmann

120. “The best team did not win this match.” – Jose Mourinho

121. “I want to talk about facts.” – Rafa Benitez

122. “You can’t win anything with kids.” – Alan Hansen

123. “I will love it if we beat them. Love it.” – Kevin Keegan

124. “He will go right to the very top.” – Harry Redknapp

125. “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” – Bill Shankly

Motivational Soccer Quotes

126. “I would have played for free, but they insisted on paying me.” – Tony Gwylim

127. “I’m football mad. I’m mad about the game. When I go to sleep, I’m thinking about football. When I wake up, I’m thinking about football.” – David Beckham

128. “Some people tell me that we professional players are soccer slaves. Well, if this is slavery, give me a life sentence.” – Bobby Charlton

129. “We have to win every game, we’re Manchester United.” – Sir Alex Ferguson

130. “When I’m on the pitch, I’m not afraid of anyone. But when I watch a horror movie, I hide behind the sofa.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

131. “I once tried to steal a ball from Zinedine Zidane, but he ended up stealing my soul.” – Xabi Alonso

132. “If you don’t concede goals, you won’t lose games.” – Steve Bruce

133. “When I was younger, I was a bit of a hothead on the pitch. But as you get older, you learn to channel that aggression into your play.” – Wayne Rooney

134. “The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does.” – Phil Woosnam

135. “When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think the sardines will be thrown into the sea.” – Eric Cantona

136. “That shot is impossible. I saw Yaya Toure do it once” – Michael Owen

137. “Squeaky bum time” – Alex Ferguson

138. “That would’ve been a goal had it gone inside the post.” – Michael Owen

139. “We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right.” – Brian Clough

140. “We go into the second half with United 1 – 0 up, so the game is perfectly balanced” – Peter Jones

141. “You may as well put a cow in the middle of the pitch, walking. And then stop the game because there was a cow.” – Jose Mourinho

142. “Oh, he had an eternity to play that ball, but he took too long about it”. – Martin Tyler

143. “Will I become a coach in the future? No way, I’d never be able to put up with someone like me.” – Romario

144. “He dribbles a lot, and the opposition don’t like it—you can see it all over their faces”. – Ron Atkinson

145. “I just love being a role model for young girls. I just hope that I can inspire them to work hard and follow their dreams.” – Alex Morgan

146. “There’s nothing like scoring a goal and having your teammates run over and pile on top of you.” – Christine Sinclair

147. “I believe that the future of soccer is bright, and that there is a bright future for female soccer players all over the world.” – Marta

148. “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” – Hope Solo

149. “The only way to get better is to work hard every day and never be satisfied with what you’ve accomplished.” – Carli Lloyd

150. “It is not just about the money, it is about what you achieve on the pitch.” – Ronaldinho