Eniola Aluko

“If, say, a striker knows that scoring 30 goals in a season will lead to them winning a prestigious award then they will try that little bit harder because, regardless of what players may say, individual recognition on the world stage is important.”

“I take the sporting genes from my dad.”

“I've been at Chelsea five years and been the butt of many jokes. And I give it back sometimes. That is the beauty of team spirit in a healthy dressing room. I'm not a sensitive, precious person.”

“Players are under enough pressure to perform from fans and the media without a manager complicating matters further in public.”

“To stay healthy, I like to eat healthy food. For example a lot of meat, pasta, vegetables and I also have to drink a lot of water and drinks with electrolytes in them.”

“Thinking back to how it fell apart for Mourinho at Chelsea, I do have some sympathy for him. At most clubs it is the manager who determines the long-term stability of the players but at Chelsea it seems very much the other way round.”

“Coaches can sometimes mollycoddle players too much - if they are good enough, then they are old enough.”

“The big players historically hold a lot of influence at Chelsea and while I would never doubt their attempts to win matches for the club, their levels undoubtedly change depending on how they feel about a manager at the time. They're either having him or they're not, and once they're not it spells borrowed time for the guy in charge.”

“Perception is a big thing in football and people need to be more careful about how they choose to perceive young players in the first instance.”

“An opportunity to play for your country is never senseless and especially when the games are competitive.”

“I think obviously the men's game has a greater emphasis on physique and strength and speed. The women's game can be quite skilful and tactical by comparison.”

“When I was a young girl I had to deal with people calling me weird and strange because I spent so much time around boys playing football.”

“It's great being part of Juventus. As expected, there's a real family feel to the club, alongside a big desire to win as often as possible.”

“Champions League football is one of the primary reasons I joined Juventus so I am determined to help the team succeed in the competition.”

“You cannot underestimate Zidane's achievement of winning the Champions League three times in a row - it must have taken superb skills to motivate the likes of Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema et al to have the desire to become serial Champions League winners.”

“After you're dating someone for a few weeks, you often don't become exclusive until you give yourself more time to know what a relationship could be like in the future. You can't get too excited too quickly.”

“My first experience playing for England was very scary and nerve wracking.”

“Sometimes keeping a squad together can improve spirit and with it performances.”

“I had to deal with casual sexism while working as a pundit for ITV during the World Cup in Russia.”

“No one should feel comfortable venting racist abuse, whether from the stands or through media outlets. Just as fans must call out any fans they see hurling abuse, journalists must call out colleagues who perpetuate divisive rhetoric. Name and shame them.”