Matthijs de Ligt

“It is logical and normal that in a great club such as Barca there is competition.”

“With Bonucci we understand each other very well and complement each other. I know what he can do and he knows what I can do well.”

“I was a bit of a fat boy.”

“You have a lot of defenders now who just stay in position, cover the spaces. But I also like to defend one-on-one, battle against the opponent. At Ajax I was used to playing a really high line. Sometimes too much, maybe. That's quite risky.”

“When I was 15, I played in midfield. I was a No 6 and I had two examples: Sergio Busquets and Pirlo.”

“I always want to be the most critical about myself.”

“I grew up with the team of Cristiano Ronaldo, Vidic, Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes... Edwin van der Sar, the Dutchman.”

“The art of defending is always to expect the worst.”

“I'm just not a big fan of expensive designer clothes.”

“What I am saying is that mental ability is really important for defenders.”

“I moved close to Amsterdam, so it's normal to be a fan of Ajax. Me and my friends would watch the games and of course they would win.”

“The most important thing of all is to always want to learn, grow and become a better player.”

“I step onto the pitch in order to give my utmost effort - and I can't possibly do better than that. That mindset is very important to me. I have to be calm in order to make the best decisions.”

“Amorim is not my first coach and he will not be my last coach.”

“I've experienced many managers.”

“Everybody knows Johan Cruyff. And everybody knows the impact he had on the football world and on Amsterdam.”

“Composure is something that comes naturally. Composure is the most important thing, that mental aspect.”

“For me, the most important thing is to know that in the team where I go I can have prominence and play many games.”

“To be fair, it's quite funny because in my career, I've never had a trainer for longer than one and a half seasons.”

“I never want to look back at the past - I want to look forward.”