Jack Rodwell Quotes

I had some different positions. At first, I was a forward, and then, step by step, I kept moving back, and now I'm here at the goal. This was my way.

I started as a winger and played there for about six years but when I came to Arsenal they told me 'now you have to play me at the back' and everything just changed.

I started out as a defender. I played as a full-back, and then I moved into the centre. I played defence right the way through until the Under-18s. Honestly!

Once I reached about 14 or 15, I started to steady myself and get into a midfield role and carried that on until I was 17. Then I dropped into right-back, and I have played there ever since.

When I was younger, I played as a right-back. I also played as a central defender, but I realised that I could dominate the ball quite calmly, so I started playing further forward in front of the back four.

I only started playing top football when I was 17 and a half.

Coaches from Celtic actually came to my door but I wasn't interested. I thought I'd get lost in the system. I wasn't ready for it.

To be honest, from England Under-16s, through the 17s and 18s, really all the way through my youth career, I played at centre-half. For some reason, when I made my debut at Everton, I just played in central midfield, and it went from there.

When I was at Doncaster Rovers Belles, I used to play up front or as a number 10, but when I joined Chelsea in 2015, I was more a midfielder, and over the last few years, I've moved into the back four.

Sometimes guys peak early. They get drafted higher, and they make it to the NFL, and they don't have a lot of growth.

At school, I was always a central midfielder from a young age. Then, when I joined Villa at 16, the pre-season didn't go too well, so they looked at me as a centre-half.

When I was growing up Harlequins were interested in signing me because I was very fast and strong at an early age, but I wasn't interested in rugby at the time.

I've always tried to be a complete athlete and not limit myself to one position or one sport. It really helped mold my whole football game.

I was playing first-team football at Cardiff at 16.

I want to be a footballer. I don't want to do anything else.

I was a receiver until I was a freshman in high school. I didn't play quarterback until I was a freshman.

I'm a defender first and foremost, and if I'm playing right centre-half, I am even more of a defender than the wing-backs.

Mark Hughes played until he was nearly 40 at a decent level, and I think I can do the same.

I started playing when I was 10 for Milan, and I quit when I was 41, so it's a long, long career.

I played until 37-years-old and my last three or four years I learnt the most.

I can say I am playing some of the best football of my career at 31. So maybe I can play better as I get older.

For every LeBron James that jumps onto the scene, or every Derrick Rose that does really well in year one, you have a lot of others that take time to transition. Those guys are just brilliant in their own way, but a lot of other guys need a little help along the way.

I've been a professional since I was a 17-year-old, over 200 league games from Conference all the way up to the Premier League now, so I think that's experience in itself.

Our job is to find players younger, where they are able to play from 11 years old and grow up playing the game. Rather than, you start playing when you are 17 or 18 and you don't get the opportunity to do anything with your career.

Spain and England have great leagues, and it would be nice to play there when the time comes.