Marco van Basten

“The defenders, they get all psyched up to play against me. I know it means a lot to them if they can keep me from scoring.”

“I think my gymnastic background helped a great deal with my agility when I took up football seriously.”

“Shootouts are spectacular for the viewers and they are interesting for the players.”

“If you are not forced to change, then there are no reasons to change.”

“They abolished the off-side rule in field hockey and there were no problems.”

“There's a big difference between being a footballer and being a coach.”

“It was great that Cruyff believed in me so much when I was taken on at Ajax. As a coach, Cruyff also had a clear vision, which enabled him to create a better team.”

“I tend not to pay too much attention to the person marking me.”

“I want a healthy atmosphere around my team, not problems.”

“From the bottom of my heart I can honestly say that it is always nice to see Milan play.”

“It is a contact sport. Being tough is also part of the game.”

“Maybe an orange card could be shown that sees a player go out of the game for 10 minutes for incidents that are not heavy enough for a red card.”

“Football is spectacular and it has to stay spectacular in every sense.”

“I'd like to coach Balotelli.”

“Football has changed just like life in general has changed.”

“Arsenal have the most amazing stadium, they have a style of play, they have a beautiful shirt - in every way I consider Arsenal as the ultimate football club.”

“Arsenal are a really big club.”

“If I don't get enough attention, I want more attention. If I have too much attention, I want it to stop. It is not always easy to understand myself.”

“When I became the assistant, I was intelligent and helpful. I had patience. As the head coach I was completely the opposite. I made a good decision to get out.”

“Cruyff was one of the best, he was my hero and my example. He was a star at the same time as George Best, fantastic to watch. I knew him later on, he became my trainer, my adviser, my team-mate, my opponent. It was easier for me to play with him than to speak to him.”