Iconic Players Quotes

But baseball bounced back in the next decade to reclaim its place as the national pastime: new heroes, spirited competition, and booming prosperity gave birth to dreams of expansion, both within the major leagues and around the world.

I would never have wanted to play with Magic Johnson, I would never have wanted to play with Michael Jordan, I would never have wanted to play with Karl Malone or John Stockton in my prime. We wanted to play against the Shaqs, the Kobes.

I loved Tom Landry and Roger Staubach.

I think the Lakers are a legacy franchise. Players know when they come here, this is the ultimate platform.

I played with Willie Mays and against Hank Aaron. They were tremendous players, but they were no Josh Gibson.

You should have seen Willie Wells play shortstop: as good as Ozzie Smith and a better hitter. How I wish people could have seen Ray Dandridge play third base, as good as Brooks Robinson and Craig Nettles and all of those. He was bowlegged; a train might go through there, but not a baseball.

Playing in Milan for me meant being able to play alongside players who were idols to me as a kid. Playing alongside David Beckham - his long passes are perfect for me.

Rooney is one of the best players in the world and I love watching him play. But if you had to pick out only one, then for their history and for all that they have achieved it would have to be Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs. They are two shining examples for any player.

To be able to be mentioned with guys like Emmitt, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin and my man LaDainian Tomlinson, it's a blessing.

There are very few LeBron James and Kobe Bryants.

I always found it a great challenge playing against Michael Jordan, to play against Magic Johnson, to play against Larry Bird, to play against all those good players because it's something that you can take away from it.

I have no doubt that LeBron James would've loved to have played against Michael Jordan, but that simply is not going to happen.

There's been so many unbelievable players in Los Angeles, maybe the best of the best.

As a kid, I looked up to Gazza, and to Wayne Rooney because he came through at Everton. Zidane has been one of my favourite players and I was always watching videos of him.

This is a club with a very big history, and the fans are a big part of that. There will be pressure here, for sure, but I like pressure. I also know about the famous players who have played for Newcastle United, like Alan Shearer, who is a hero of mine.

One of the perks of being an actor is to get to meet athletes that you respect. Especially who played before my time. Brooks Robinson is one of those athletes; they just don't make them any nicer.

Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were the two guys with unstoppable moves.

I love LeBron, but Kobe was the first player I actually considered my favorite.

Some of the greatest stars in the history of football have been under contract with Puma.

Many great teams have players who have come through the youth system or have been at the club for a long time as their captains. I'm thinking of Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, John Terry at Chelsea, Raul at Real Madrid, as well as Puyol at Barcelona and Gary Neville at Man United.