150 Best Soccer Quotes For Kids Who Are Footie Mad

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.

Almost 250 million players play the game across countries around the world. The game is almost like a religion to some people at some parts of the planet.

Two teams of 11 players each play the game. The objective is to put the football, or soccer ball, into the net at the end of each side of the soccer field. Once every four years, the World Cup is conducted, for which thousands of people go to the stadiums from around the globe to watch the matches, and millions more on TV. Read up on these quotes below to know more. It's not just professional players are soccer mad, the whole world is! Whether it is the World Cup, or a kick around with friends, the soccer community is one of those communities that transcend just the game, and it's not just the players are soccer slaves, a result of coaches enthusiasm, but everybody!

If you liked our soccer quotes go check out funny football quotes and inspirational soccer quotes.

Here we have the best of soccer quotes that you will definitely love.

1. "My father used to say, 'If you want to know the artist, look at the art'. He was usually talking about Stanley Matthews or Don Bradman when he said it."

- David Peace.

2. "The thing about football – the important thing about football – is that it is not just about football."

- Terry Pratchett.

3. "Though the legs of a football coach are never so active on the field of play during playing time, his mind is the best or worse player on the pitch!"

- Ernest Agyemang Yeboah.

4. "Years have gone by and I've finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good soccer."

- Eduardo Galeano.

5. "In his life, a man can change wives, political parties or religions but he cannot change his favorite soccer team."

- Eduardo Galeano.

6. "Everything I know about morality and the obligations of men, I owe it to football (soccer)."

- Albert Camus.

7. "Soccer isn't the same as Bach or Buddhism. But it is often more deeply felt than religion, and just as much a part of the community's fabric, a repository of traditions."

- Franklin Foer.

8. "And one fine day the goddess of the wind kisses the foot of man, that mistreated, scorned foot, and from that kiss the soccer idol is born."

- Eduardo Galeano.

9. "Becoming a footballer is only the first half of the silent prayer a kid offers up to the sky or confides to his teacher in a primary school essay. The second part is the name of the team he wants to play for."

- Andrea Pirlo.

10. "In soccer, ability is much more important than shape, and in many cases, skill is the art of turning limitations into virtues."

- Eduardo Galeano.

11. "When good soccer happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don't give a damn which team or country performs it."

- Eduardo Galeano.

12. "Our country has been through difficult experiences in terms of unity. Sport - football in particular - has the power to help that. It is a special feeling."

- Gareth Southgate.

13. "Keep working even when no one is watching."

- Alex Morgan.

14. "God gives gifts to everyone, some can write, some can dance. He gave me the skill to play football and I am making the most of it."

- Ronaldinho.

15. "In football, the worst blindness is only seeing the ball."

- Nelson Rodrigues.

16. "If you're attacking, you don't get as tired as when you're chasing."

- Kyle Rote, Jr.

17. "It seems that soccer tournaments create those relationships: people gathered together in pubs and living rooms, a whole country suddenly caring about the same event."

- Simon Kuper.

18. "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that."

- Bill Shankly.

19. "Five days shalt thou labour, as the Bible says. The seventh day is the Lord thy God's. The sixth day is for football."

- Anthony Burgess.

20. "Football is the ballet of the masses."

- Dmitri Shostakovich.

21. "Soccer is an art more central to our culture than anything the Arts Council deigns to recognize."

- Germaine Greer.

22. "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."

- Roy Maurice Keane.

23. "The first 90 minutes are the most important."

- Sir Robert 'Bobby' Robson.

24. "I think there are a lot of things that soccer does in the communities that transcend the soccer field."

- Brandi Denise Chastain.

25. "Some people tell me that we professional players are soccer slaves. Well, if this is slavery, give me a life sentence."

- Sir Robert 'Bobby' Charlton.

Soccer commentaries can be crazy good sometimes. The soccer quotes below are only just a few examples of them.

26. "Giving Cristiano that much time and space on the ball is like giving Dracula the keys to the blood bank."

- Ray Hudson.

27. "I tell you what, if Issac Newton was watching this man, he would be saying boy was I wrong? Astonishing from Lionel. Sweeter than a mother's kiss at bed time."

- Ray Hudson.

28. "If UEFA will not embrace video technology, then we need two more officials behind the goals to help the referee."

- Andy Townsend.

29. "Arsenal have the wind in their sails, and they need to put their foot to the floor."

- Andy Townsend.

30. "Scotland can't afford to take their minds off the gas."

- Andy Townsend.

31. "...and he crosses the line with the ball almost mesmerically tied to his foot with a piece of string."

- Ian Darke.

32. "I always think the toughest commentary is on a bad goalless draw."

- Ian Darke.

33. "And with just four minutes gone, the score is already 0-0."

- Ian Darke.

34. "A smoked salmon sandwich of a football match if ever there has been one."

- Peter Drury.

35. "Roma have risen from their ruins. Manolas, the Greek God in Rome...It is a Greek from Mount Olympus, who has come to the Seven Hills of Rome and pulled off a miracle."

- Peter Drury.

36. "A red-Letter day, Scott McTominay, Ederson's day to hide, it's Solskjaer's day to look to Paradise and say I've done a double over the neighbours."

- Peter Drury.

37. "They have to call him Mr Hundred Percent, every shot is resulted in a goal."

- Martin Tyler.

38. "Oh my days, Zlatan Ibrahimovic! I wanna give you a manhug! That is the beautiful game played in a beautiful way!"

- Stan Collymore.

39. "Can Manchester United score? They always score."

- Clive Tyldesley.

40. "Messi knows physics, physics knows no Messi."

- Ray Hudson.

Soccer fans are called the 12th man of the game. They are valued the most, and here's a few quotes about them that are also for the fans.

41. "The most important part are the fans, that people going home are happy."

- Johan Cruyff.

42. "Football never stops. I'm a football fan. I believe in the beauty of the game."

- Carlos Cuaron.

43. "It is a strange paradox that while the grief of football fans is private - we each have an individual relationship with our clubs, and I think that we are secretly convinced that none of the other fans understands quite why we have been harder hit than anyone else."

- Nick Hornby.

44. "Football fanaticism and high intellect seldom go together."

- Hugh MacDiarmid.

45. "The manager believes soccer is a science and the field a laboratory, but the genius of Einstein and the subtlety of Freud is not enough for the owners and the fans. They want a miracle worker like Our Lady of Lourdes, with the stamina of Gandhi."

- Eduardo Galeano.

46. "I played in Europe and it was a great experience, not just because of my team-mates and the coaches we had, but from the fans and the city itself..."

- Hope Solo.

47. "I think fans want to see that. They want to see beautiful football, a spectacle, and Barcelona does that."

- Xavi.

48. "English supporters are also hooked on their teams. It's in their DNA. They're always there, in good times and bad."

- Johan Cruyff.

49. "And I enjoyed the English fans, too. They've got real respect for someone who plays football well."

- Johan Cruyff.

50. "I've never met anybody who says they don't like the World Cup. If you're a soccer fan or not, everybody loves watching it, and I think it could be the same for other sports."

- Landon Donovan.

51. "It's to remind our lads who they're playing for, and to remind the opposition who they're playing against."

- Bill Shankly.

52. "At a football club, there's a holy trinity - the players, the manager, and the supporters."

- Bill Shankly.

53. "To say that these men paid their shillings to watch twenty-two hirelings kick a ball is merely to say that a violin is wood and catgut, and that Hamlet is so much paper and ink."

- J. B. Priestley.

54. "It is a unique and special feeling when the fans sing my name."

- Philippe Coutinho.

55. "It's unbelievable, you see how many people they come. They shout your name and just enjoy life."

- Paul Pogba.

Check out the best of inspirational quotes from the greatest soccer players.

56. "In football, the result is an impostor. You can do things really, really well but not win. There's something greater than the result, more lasting - a legacy."

- Xavi.

57. "Enthusiasm is everything. It must be taut and vibrating like a guitar string."

- Pelé.

58. "As a goalkeeper, you need to be good at organizing the people in front of you and motivating them."

- Peter Shilton.

59. "The real performance of a player is seen not only during playing time but also and more especially when the player is substituted."

- Ernest Agyemang Yeboah.

60. "I worked on my weaknesses and made them my strengths."

- Sydney Leroux.

61. "Before kids can play like a pro, they must enjoy playing the game like a kid."

- Steve Locker.

62. "As a kid, you obviously dream of being a professional footballer...But I didn't think about trying to become one of the best in the world or anything like that. I just play football."

- Gareth Bale.

63. "I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well."

- Cristiano Ronaldo.

64. "You've got to believe you're going to win, and I believe we'll win the World Cup until the final whistle blows and we're knocked out."

- Peter Shilton.

65. "And it is not just about scoring, it is about what you bring to the team, bringing others into play and getting assists."

- Harry Kane.

66. "People in football love to talk about mental strength. Well, I'm the strongest dude you're ever going to meet."

- Romelu Lukaku.

67. "I have to keep working hard and playing well because I don't like to be second or third: they're the worst places to be."

- Paul Pogba.

68. "When people succeed, it is because of hard work. Luck has nothing to do with success."

- Diego Maradona.

69. "The secret is to believe in your dreams; in your potential that you can be like your star, keep searching, keep believing and don't lose faith in yourself."

- Neymar.

70. "When you win, you don't get carried away. But if you go step by step, with confidence, you can go far."

- Diego Maradona.

71. "Life is full of regrets, but it doesn't pay to look back."

- Zinedine Zidane.

72. "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do."

- Pele.

73. "I once cried because I had no shoes to play soccer, but one day, I met a man who had no feet."

- Zinedine Zidane.

74. "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.

75. "I just hate losing, and that gives you an extra determination to work harder."

- Wayne Rooney.

76. "More important than that, I feel an endless need to learn … It is my conviction that there are no limits to learning, and that it can never stop, no matter what our age."

- Cristiano Ronaldo.

There have been many woman soccer players who have won hearts. These are a few motivational soccer quotes from those players to inspire every girl.

77. "It's about standing up and being counted and saying you're proud of who you are."

- Megan Rapinoe.

78. "Coaches can give you information, they can give you guidelines, and they can put you in a position. But the only person who can truly make you better is you."

- Brandi Chastain.

79. "There's no better feeling than stepping out on the field and stunning them all by doing what none of them thought you could do."

- Ashlyn Harris.

80. "Every single day I woke up and commit to myself to become a better player."

- Mia Hamm.

81. "I know, firsthand, that soccer brings people together - all it takes is a ball and a few people, and the seeds of friendship are planted."

- Ali Krieger.

82. "Whatever brings you down will eventually make you stronger."

- Alex Morgan.

83. "Cute doesn't win games."

- Nike.

84. "Somewhere behind the athlete you've become, and the hours of practice, and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her."

- Mia Hamm.

85. "My coach said I run like a girl. And I said if he ran a little faster he could too."

- Mia Hamm.

86. "Soccer invented by men, perfected by women."

- Julie Foudy.

87. "As professional soccer players, we take our bodies to the extreme."

- Abby Wambach.

88. "Many people say I'm the best women's soccer player in the world. I don't think so. And because of that, someday I just might be."

- Mia Hamm.

89. "Alright, call me a tomboy. Tomboys get medals. Tomboys win championships. Tomboys can fly. Oh. And tomboys aren't boys."

- Julie Foudy.

90. "Whenever people say 'women's soccer,' I want to correct them to say 'soccer.' Every girl has had their sport diminished because they're girls."

- Alex Morgan.

Below are some of the most famous quotes from the greatest soccer players of this generation, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

91. "The important thing is to be there, score when needed. It's better if the goals are beautiful, better still if they are important."

- Wayne Rooney.

92. "I'm lucky to be part of a team who help to make me look good, and they deserve as much of the credit for my success as I do for the hard work we have all put in on the training ground."

- Lionel Messi.

93. "There are many ways to grow football-wise... For me, there would be trouble in stopping learning."

- Wayne Rooney.

94. "Everything that's happened to me in my career has been special, even the tough times because they leave marks on you that shape your life."

- Lionel Messi.

95. "I've never tried to hide the fact that it is my intention to become the best."

- Cristiano Ronaldo.

96. "There's nothing more satisfying than seeing a happy and smiling child...A child's smile is worth more than all the money in the world."

- Lionel Messi.

97. "I don't want to be compared to anyone – I'd like to impose my own style of play and do the best for myself and for the club here."

- Cristiano Ronaldo.

98. "Lifting a title makes me feel so happy because it's what I want to do in football: be successful."

- Lionel Messi.

99. "There is no harm in dreaming of becoming the world's best player. It is all about trying to be the best."

- Cristiano Ronaldo.

100. "Every year I try to grow as a player and not get stuck in a rut."

- Lionel Messi.

101. "But, at the moment, when I step on the pitch, when I have the ball I know it's mine. It's just a feeling."

- Thierry Henry.

102. "Over the years, I've tried to express myself through my feet, which have made everything simpler for me ever since I was a child."

- Francesco Totti.

103. "I've learned lots, obviously - the first thing being never to forget to be grateful. The second is not to bear grudges, because in football, luck does not exist."

- Andrea Pirlo.

104. "In football, you always get judged on your last game. Whoever you are, or how amazing you are, it's the last game that everyone has seen."

- Thierry Henry.

105. "The game has given me so much, and I tried to give so much back to the people who have showed me so much love day after day."

- Francesco Totti.

106. "If you look after yourself and are willing to adapt - there is no reason why you can't play at the top level until your late 30s."

- Andrea Pirlo.

107. "My dad always taught me to never be satisfied, to want more and know that what is done is done."

- Thierry Henry.

108. "Football, to me, is a passion, more than a game. It is everything. But more than anything, it is love for Roma."

- Francesco Totti.

109. "I spent the afternoon of Sunday 9 July, 2006 in Berlin sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup."

- Andrea Pirlo.

110. "Football's the biggest game in the world. America's the greatest sporting nation there is. To play some part in putting those two things together: why wouldn't I be excited about that?"

- David Beckham.

111. "I get the feeling people respect me and that there is affection for me. That makes me happy."

- Andres Iniesta.

112. "I always want to become better. If never being satisfied is a problem, then I have it. At least it's a good problem."

- Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

113. "I've felt a little tired, but I'm only 24. I love playing football. That's my job and that's what I love doing."

- David Beckham.

114. "If there is one thing that all players have in common, it is that winning, competitive gene; the ability to overcome obstacles and fight for what you want from your career."

- Andres Iniesta.

115. "I did many stupid things. I made many mistakes, but I learnt from everything. I still make mistakes; I still learn from them. Nobody is perfect."

- Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

116. "The spotlight will always be on me, but it's something I'm learning to live with as the years go by."

- David Beckham.

117. "If you win without sacrifice, you enjoy it, but it's more satisfying when you have struggled."

- Andres Iniesta.

118. "When you buy me, you are buying a Ferrari. If you drive a Ferrari, you put premium petrol in the tank, you hit the motorway, and you step on the gas."

- Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

119. "I never do anything half-heartedly. I will continue to work hard and play hard and do everything I can to be successful, whatever I do."

- David Beckham.

120. "We must not let ourselves get driven off course, no matter what happens we must stick to our natural game."

- Zinedine Zidane.

Lastly, we have some of the best quotes from legendary soccer players from the last century.

121. "Football, bloomin' hell!"

- Sir Alex Ferguson.

122. "One of the things I keep reminding players is that when you're lost in a fog, you must stick together. Then you don't get lost."

- Bob Paisley.

123. "If you're in the penalty area and don't know what to do with the ball, put it in the net and we'll discuss the options later."

- Bob Paisley.

124. "If I were running a company, I would always want to listen to the thoughts of its most talented youngsters, because they are the people most in touch with the realities of today and the prospects for tomorrow."

- Sir Alex Ferguson.

125. "There is no room for criticism on the training field."

- Sir Alex Ferguson.

126. "I'm going to tell you the story about the geese which fly 5,000 miles from Canada to France. They fly in V-formation, but the second ones don't fly. They're the subs for the first ones. And then the second ones take over - so it's teamwork."

- Sir Alex Ferguson.

127. "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea. Thank you very much."

- Eric Cantona.

128. "Often there are players who have only football as a way of expressing themselves and never develop other interests."

- Eric Cantona.

129. "I am not a man, I am Cantona."

- Eric Cantona.

130. "I think the challenge is to take difficult and painful times and turn them into something beneficial, something that makes you grow."

- Michelle Akers.

131. "It comes down to a few things: how bad you want it, what you do when things get hard, and whether you are able to stay focused amid turmoil, challenge, chaos and demands."

- Michelle Akers.

132. "I've worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals."

- Mia Hamm.

133. "The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking."

- Mia Hamm.

134. "Play for the name on the front of the shirt, and they will remember the name on the back."

- Tony Adams.

135. "For a player - and for any human being - there is nothing better than hearing 'well done'. Those are the two best words ever invented in sports. You don't need to use superlatives."

- Sir Alex Ferguson.

136. "If you have the ball, you must make the field as big as possible, and if you don't have the ball, you must make it as small as possible."

- Johan Cruyff.

137. "Considerable research on successful soccer players and their developmental history, affirms that a good percentage of them have spent time in isolation, working on soccer skills."

- Pele.

138. "Football is now all about money. There are problems with the values within the game. This is sad because football is the most beautiful game. We can play it in the street. We can play it everywhere."

- Johan Cruyff.

139. "It's best being a striker. If you miss five, then score the winner, you're a hero."

- Ian Rush.

140. "Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple."

- Johan Cruyff.

141. "As someone who played a team sport, I feel a bit uncomfortable being ranked as an individual so high."

- Franz Beckenbauer.

142. "We didn't always have boots so we played barefoot on any sandy patch we could find."

- Ferenc Puskás.

143. "Football's like a big market place and people go to the market every day to buy their vegetables."

- Bobby Robson.

144. "Possession means nothing when the opponent takes its chances."

- Franz Beckenbauer.

145. "Nobody ever made me feel a foreigner in Madrid and I never felt it necessary to jettison my Hungarian-ness."

- Ferenc Puskás.

146. "Don't ask me what a typical Brazilian is because I don't know what a typical Brazilian is. But Romario was a typical Brazilian."

- Bobby Robson.

147. "It is not the strong one that wins, the one that wins is strong."

- Franz Beckenbauer.

148. "The ball should be moved early, preferably on first contact. To run with it is often only to waste valuable attacking time."

- Ferenc Puskás.

149. "I am Maradona, who makes goals, who makes mistakes. I can take it all, I have shoulders big enough to fight with everybody."

- Diego Maradona.

150. "In the sweep of its appeal, its ability to touch every corner of humanity, football is the only game that needed to be invented."

- Sir Robert 'Bobby' Charlton.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for soccer quotes then why not take a look at nike quotes, or rugby quotes?