When big teams play each other, you automatically want to raise your game. You want to see what level you're at, and you know you have to step up.
— Edgar Davids
I don't think it is good if everyone says 'yes' when they mean 'no.'
You don't want to play one year in the Champions' League and go out. You don't then establish yourself as a big club.
When you look at youth, they want to aspire to somebody. You can see that with him you have to work hard, and that's what you bring if you have someone like Ronaldo who embodies hard work and determination.
I have found back at Spurs the pleasure of football.
You can do tactical games with a kid, and they don't even know it's tactical.
Ancelotti has managed a lot of big clubs, and I think he would do well at Madrid because Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain are big clubs.
I am a Spurs fan as well, don't forget.
I don't want to be anyone's mimic.
Fashion is important, man.
He moulded me as a player by teaching me the basics, the fundamentals of football, and definitely made me the player I was until I stopped playing. That is what Van Gaal does.
The past can influence the future. When you finish one chapter, you open another, which will be influenced by what you've just lived through.
I started in a 4-3-3 formation at Ajax, playing in left midfield. There, you need to be just as involved defensively as you are going forward. You attack and you defend, and that allows you to be a complete player.
When I am on the pitch, I just want to play, I don't care if it is the Nou Camp or not; I just want to play.
You see, in the fashion industry, everybody either knows each other or is linked to one another. If you're not part of their inner circle, things can be hard.
This game is about engagement and respect, whether you're playing in the Champions League or in the fourth division.
Even though you're irritated or disappointed about a game, never lose your human side.
I think everybody can say that Luis Suarez is a very good player. He's scored so many goals in the Premier League, and he is definitely a quality player.
Football is more verbal in Holland, but there is a different approach in England.
Everyone wants to play in the Champions' League because that's where it is all happening. That's where you get the A-status for players. It's very important for young players.
Ronaldo is the best of the best, I mean not only as a football player but also as a human being. You can see how he developed and how devoted he is to really staying on top every year to excel. I think that is something unbelievable, and I said it before and will say it again: he is an athlete, and an athlete is a positive thing.
Everyone has an affection for the club where you played in your youth; that's normal. But loyalty to it? Loyalty is staying at the club. Affection is different. The important thing is that when you're there, you give it your all, respect the rules and respect the club, and try to be the best you can be. That's fair enough.
Everybody in Ajax plays 4-3-3, from seven years old, so they get used to the system. It's all about being a total player.
Almost every football player played on the streets. And also, a lot of people not ending up as football players play on the streets. It's the beginning of a lot of social gathering.
Anything is possible, and if an opportunity turned up, and it was under the right circumstances, I would love to come back to England in a coaching capacity.
I've never had a big dream to be a manager, but I'm a curious guy, and I want to see if I like it.
Players can underestimate the Premier League.
I am not at all convinced by Pogba. He plays a lot in England - it's true - but I expected a lot more from him.
I cherished every moment with the national team - the good ones and the bad ones - because you learn from your mistakes.
I think when I played at Juventus, that was the best team.
We started a new movement called street soccer, so I was already breathing and living the style. Since street soccer is not a game but a lifestyle, it required a matching wardrobe.
The transition from soccer to fashion was an organic one.
If you approach a player with respect, he will give you that respect back, but sometimes fans are just critical.
I have been racially abused by fans and players, but sometimes it's just a way to get under your skin.
I don't complain if I get a hard tackle.
It's obviously important for the English national team if you have a lot of players playing big matches. You are more mature and know how to cope.
If you are hoping for a Champions' League final or winning a title, it's the same. You are working for a result.
The Champions League is so difficult, It's like a lottery: sometimes you're just unlucky.
Loyalty? There's no loyalty in football.
People know who Carlo Ancelotti is. He's a man with a lot of experience.
I was very fortunate to have a career like this. I wanted to put a lot back for the community.
You need to beat a defender when you have the ball. You need to be able to successfully pass to a team-mate, and there are other attributes needed to be the complete player.
I coached a team in Brixton - Brixton United - for a while. We won two cups. They are a good team, but I only coached. No playing.
If you look at most youngsters, they have worked well under Van Gaal. I had never heard of Thomas Muller at Bayern Munich before Van Gaal managed him, and he's now one of the best players in the world.
It doesn't matter if you are 30 or 40 or 19 or 17 - if you can play the ball, you can play the ball.
When you have too many stars, you have too many egos to manage, and it's difficult.
I just grew up in Ajax with all the players from Ajax. We only had two or three foreigners, so everyone knew each other and knew the system.
The guy I cater my clothes to wants to be different without going overboard. So we sell many classic silhouettes with unique details to avoid things from getting ordinary.
When someone makes a racist remark, that doesn't make him a racist, but you have to say, 'This the line. You've crossed it, and you have to apologize' - not only to the person who has been hurt but also the people who live with that racial abuse almost all their lives. I think that's unacceptable if you don't.
All teams are grateful for their fans most of the time because they give you the platform to perform. It might sound like a cliche, but it's the truth.
