Player Excellence Quotes

As head coach, I try to give clear role clarity, instil structure and create an environment in which players can excel.

For players to perform near their best every week is commendable.

When you look at the best players in the world, they can play all the formats. I don't think it's an easy thing to do and that's why they're the best players in the world.

To get the PFA Player of the Year is a fantastic honour. It's the highest honour you can get because it's voted by your fellow peers.

I'm going to come in and learn and be the best player I can be on the court as well as off the court.

My dad, who was a teacher, used to tell me that a teacher's goal should be for every one of their students to get an A. If that's your goal every day - to make every student or player learn - then it doesn't matter if you won last year or didn't win. When next year's team shows up, I try to help every player become as good as they can be.

Of course, becoming champions is something we all want, but I think that the best 'championship' for a manager is to see players like Koke, Lucas Hernandez, Angel Correa - lads who have come up from all the way down in the lower divisions - become professionals of a high standard.

It's tough at first. You realize in the NBA, it's not easy. Each and every night, you're playing against that player that was the best high school player, that player that was the best player on his college team.

It is one thing to have quality and another to be a great player.

I wanted to be an outstanding player, that was my ambition.

I was always geared towards either wanting to finish number one or be number one as far as the best player that I could be, or be the best player at my position in the league. I wanted that to be a constant reminder to my teammates that they looked to their leader who is wearing that number, this is what you should strive for as well.

As for the (Ballon d'Or) criteria, I'm not really sure how it works. Sometimes it's a World Cup year, sometimes it isn't. Let them vote. For me, there is no doubt as to who is the best, year after year.

Everything you can imagine from a player, Pele has done it.

I was playing the best football of my career at the time, finishing top scorer in Italy three year's running. There were other good players around but I think I was the best at that time.

You look at all the elite players around the League, the guys that are responsible defensively, the guys that can score at will, they kind of do it all.

I saw greatness in John and he lived up to it. I also saw a tremendous competitor who loved to win. John is a standard bearer, someone that players, coaches, fans and the Raider Nation can all look up to. One of his great virtues, the fire that burned brightest in him, was his love and passion for football, which was seldom ever equaled.

I want to be the strongest player, the most intelligent player, and the most skilled player on the court at all times.

To speak of Mexico '86, I can make it short and speak only of Maradona. I never saw a player who dominated a World Cup like he did in '86.

What's the difference between a good player and a great player? A good player plays well in his own conditions - a great player plays well in all conditions.

I've had so much great teaching, and I'm one of the best defensive players to ever play the game on the wing.

I think these awards are always nice for a player but they also reflect well on the club. It shows that Arsenal's performance have been noted all around the world and it helps by having so many good players around me.

It's something I take a lot of pride in doing, in being the best defensive player in the world, in helping my teammates every night.

You can't be a great player without playing both ends of the floor. And that's what I do - I really focus in, and my athletic ability helps me.

If you play for Barcelona or Ajax or for any top team or top side, they want to see the top players excel every week.