Chris Sutton

“Premier League players have always been heroes to youngsters. They will mimic their movements, copy their celebrations, pop their collar up like Eric Cantona and pull their socks down like Jack Grealish. They will do whatever they can to be like their idols.”

“Football is not really a complicated game. It's important to have an understanding of the game but the beauty of people like Martin O'Neill, Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish is that they know how to treat players.”

“We don't think of Messi as a speedster. It is his speed of thought that impresses us as much as anything.”

“I have been fortunate to work under some great managers and I knew I could benefit from that education. I went round to their clubs, talked to them, watched them at work and learned.”

“The fiercest dressing room was at Celtic. There were strong characters in Neil Lennon, Henrik Larsson, John Hartson and Craig Bellamy. It could be tough in there, because there was a strong school of banter and I loved it, but I can honestly say that if anyone had come out, the rest would have offered unwavering support.”

“I know fans like to see the manager showing passion, but there is a line you should not cross.”

“Some footballers develop reputations for rolling around, diving, flopping, dropping. But Messi is different. If he wants to keep the ball and stay upright, he will do so.”

“After training, Gianluca would stay behind to do one-on-one sessions. Sometimes our focus was on my finishing. Sometimes the runs I should have been making.”

“If I woke up to my morning Daily Mail and saw the headline on the back page 'I am gay' and an interview with a top Premier League or international footballer, I would think, 'Good on you, but do I care?'”

“There's no one better than Jack Grealish at leaving a leg back to initiate contact. He's a master manipulator in that way.”

“I remember waiting for my chance at Norwich. In November 1991, centre half Ian Butterworth limped off in a First Division game against Liverpool at Anfield. We were 2-1 down and my manager, Dave Stringer, threw me on in his place.”

“Strikers remember the opportunities they missed as much as the ones they took.”

“Plenty of teams have been wronged by diabolical decisions. I'm not saying it is right. But it happens. It is football. Errors happen.”

“I prefer Kane's penalty-taking technique to the hop-and-skip approach that seems to be taking over football. Kane puts his foot through the ball. He goes for power and accuracy.”

“As someone who headed home his fair share of goals, I would have loved to play with a winger like Mbappe.”

“Todd Boehly wants Chelsea to be a world leader in trophy collecting.”

“Once the first gay footballer comes out, others will follow.”

“I admire Maguire for the way he persevered to force his way back into Erik ten Hag's line-up.”

“Roy Hodgson's appetite to want to work at the age of 75 is admirable. Roy was my manager at Blackburn in 1997-98 when I won the Golden Boot.”

“If you're going to go down, it needs to be because your opponent has created the situation, not you.”