Soccer, or football if you’re not from the United States, is not normally a quote worthy sports franchise. You don’t get the taunting “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” sayings you would from sports like Boxing and Wrestling and because the sport hasn’t reached great notoriety in the States its players hardly get any news coverage so even if they do say something interesting we rarely here it. But every so often you’ll find great quotes that will move you.
Soccer isn’t just about scoring goals and kicking a ball around. It is one of the greatest team sports in the entire world, if not the most popular one, and there have been many great players to grace the field over the years. In order to shed some light on the great sport and hopefully inspire you to play the game a little more, here are 10 inspiring soccer quotes that we can all learn from in no particular order.
1. “I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.” – Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm was an American player in the 1970’s. Determination is one of the most important factors in the world of sport. In order to win games you have to want to win the game more than your opponent. Hamm here illustrates just how determined she was and it was that determination that won her the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002.
2. “A lot of football success is in the mind. You must believe you are the best and then make sure that you are.” – Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly was a Scottish player and manager throughout the 20th century. This one tells of the ancient “Mind over Matter” mythos. If you believe you are the best you will strive that much harder to become the best.
3. “Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string.” – Pele
Pele is possibly the most famous of players. He played for Brazil but went on to become an Actor and Politician. This quote from him touches on how you can use your enthusiasm for soccer as a tool to better your game.
4. “I love to score goals after passing all the defenders as well as the keeper. This is not my specialty, but my habit.” – Ronaldo
Ronaldo, another famous Brazilian player, is touching on the idea that to become great at something you need to make it routine. You need to practice it so often and perform it all the time so that it becomes second nature. You don’t have to think about doing it, you just do it.
5. “A champion is someone who does not settle for the day’s practice, that day’s competition, that day’s performance. They are always striving to be better. They don’t live in the past.” – Briana Scurry
Briana Scurry was on the 1996 U.S Olympic team and her quote here is about being a champion. True champions don’t say: Well, I’ve won the cup, now I’m done. They continue to strive and pursue their next goal as soon as they achieve the first.
6. “One thing will not change –we will be going out to win.” – David Beckham
Beckham is one of the more famous English players who now plays in the American league. His quote signifies that you should always take the mindset that you’re going to win the game even before the game has begun.
7. “Football (soccer) is a matter of life and death, except more important.” – Bill Shankly
Funny soccer quotes can be insightful too. Here’s another from Bill Shankly. This time he’s making a joke about how serious you must be to play in the big leagues. You need to love the game more than anything, even your own life, in order to be a true champion player.
8. “In Europe, it’s different – you eat soccer, you breathe soccer, you drink soccer. Everything is about soccer.” – Thomas Dooley
Thomas Dooley was a German player. Here he’s talking about the difference between how American’s view soccer and European’s view it. I suppose we could all learn a little something about dedication and fandom from European fans.
9. “I think soccer is more respected now than it ever has been. You can see that in the numbers of young kids who are playing and the numbers of people who are coming to watch.” – Brandi Chastain
Brandi Chastain is an American player currently playing for FC Gold Pride in the Women’s Professional Soccer League. She speaks out in this one about the growing popularity in the States. In order to establish a sport in a region you need to start in the Youth Leagues and build up and that is exactly what Brandi is describing.
10. “I think there are a lot of things that soccer does in the communities that transcend the soccer field.” – Brandi Chastain
Another from Chastain. This time she’s talking about how sports are not just rules on the field, they are guidelines for behaving in your community and they teach grander concepts like team work, goal orientation, and achievement.
If you know any other motivational soccer quotes that you think deserve to be on this list please feel free to leave us a comment. It is a great sport and can be enjoyed on all sorts of levels.
