Willian Quotes

When I went to Real Madrid, I was only 18 or 19 years old. It was my first year as a professional footballer. I was very young.

Kids are learning to play. That's why we're seeing an emergence. That's why we're seeing the Under-17s and Under-20s doing better in international football.

I had wanted to play for Penarol since I was a boy. When I was young, I would go to their training ground, but at 18, I left Uruguay for Argentina, and my professional career started.

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

I started playing full-equipment football when I was 6 years old. My mom actually got me started in it.

I was about five or six when I went to the little foundation camps. I got into the academy when I was nine, and I've gone through every age group since and into the first team.

If I can inspire kids to do what I do - want to become professional soccer players - then I think that that's everything I want to do.

I've practically grown up with FC Bayern Munich since the age of 11. In my case, a talent scout noticed me when I was playing for a local youth team at Gern in Munich.

Clearly, if you go abroad to a top club, it means one more step in your development.

I started playing with my dad, and then I started going to soccer schools in Sunderland and managed to get scouted from there.

I was maybe only 13 or 14 when I started to play junior tournaments.

I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she's a natural.

I wanted to be a soccer player; I wanted to do it at the highest level.

My generation put in a lot more hours playing football after school than kids today. These days, all the football these kids play, they play at their clubs, so the clubs need to work seriously on the basic skills.

One day, I hope I can play in MLS.

I played soccer when I was a kid. I started when I was 8 and played for 8 more years. I was pretty good. I used to train with Atletico Nacional, which is one of the most important teams in Colombia. I used to train every day.

My ambition is to play in the Premier League, like every player.

I went to Borussia Dortmund on trial with a bag and some clothes, not knowing what my next move was going to be.

Kids in Africa start kicking a ball when they are six or seven years old, if not younger. It's like baseball, basketball and football in America. If you're talented, people will find you. That's what happened with soccer. The number of academies has grown rapidly, and people are really into it.

When I was five, 10, 15 years old, I always dreamed of being in the best league in the world, playing with some of the best clubs.

The first pitch I played on, for my first club, Braine-le-Comte, was only a metre from our house! I progressed very quickly.

I can look forward to that. Getting back over to Europe and playing at a little bit higher level, then hopefully becoming a leader for the national team.

When I started, when I was eight, I never thought I would make a career out of being a woman footballer.

When I moved to Hull and I was playing against players in the Premier League, maybe I pinched myself then.

I got scouted at six by Everton. My parents said it was maybe a bit too young. A year later, I went down to trials at Everton and have been there ever since.