Top pre-World Cup quotes

“I have 23 wildcats prepared to leave their skins on the pitch.”

— Argentina Coach Diego Maradona, getting into the animal spirit of Africa.

“They must be clever and forget their ego to realize that the only thing that matters is the team, not them. If they don’t understand that, I will need a gun.”

— France Coach Raymond Domenech, talking to L’Equipe about player humility.

“For my own sake, it’s a good job that I chose football. If not, perhaps I’d be stealing or drug-trafficking.”

— Chile defender Gary “Pitbull” Medel.

“You didn’t see any cows walking around at the hotel in Germany.”

— American midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, telling the Washington Post how different the U.S. team’s accommodations are in rural South Africa compared with the team’s hotel in Hamburg in 2006.

“It is pointless playing against the so-called small nations just to build up self-confidence.”

— Switzerland midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta takes a dim view of certain tune-up games.

“I don’t play alone, and I can’t perform miracles.”

— Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s most expensive player, shifts the blame ahead of the game.

“Maybe it was good. Now I’m sitting here, going to the World Cup anyhow, with a very good team, maybe better than Mexico, so I’m happy, very happy.”

— Ivory Coast Coach Sven-Goran, on being fired as Mexico’s coach.

“Even a street lamp would have seen that Franck was a very good player, but you had to watch him like a pan of milk on the boil. He was a kid who had grown up in the street.”

— Jose Pereira, one of France winger Franck Ribery’s youth coaches, tells England’s Independent newspaper about his former charge.

“I don’t think you should become a ‘sir,’ to be honest. There are other people doing things in the world who deserve it a lot more.”

— England striker Wayne Rooney, touched by the queen’s sword in the television advertisement, on whether soccer players really deserve to be knighted.

“It sounds cold, and I don’t like the cold. Just the word, glacier, that’s not for me.”

— France defender Patrice Evra, objecting to a training hike up a glacier in the French Alps.

“No matter how much silverware you win in your career you always want more.”

— Serbia defender Nemanja Vidic.

“At the end of the day it is only a game of football.”

— England midfielder Joe Cole.