Samuel Eto'o

“It would be great to win the Ballon d'Or, but first, I'm thinking about the team's interest and not my personal ones.”

“Everything God gives me, I take, and he's given enormously during my career.”

“I've always felt comfortable, but in football, there are lows.”

“I feel privileged to be able to do what I enjoy doing and that I also get paid to do it. That gives me great pleasure.”

“A child comes to see his father play, have fun, make people happy, and what does he see? He sees people booing his father for being black. They make monkey noises. They throw bananas at his teammates and all that.”

“It's not all about the figures. It's about how you play for the team, how you help your colleagues, how you work defensively.”

“There is nothing more valuable than to be healthy and to have the hope of living a better day tomorrow.”

“Chelsea is a fantastic club.”

“With Barca, we won the Champions League after many years of disappointment, and the fans went delirious.”

“Of course it's normal for people to say, 'Yeah, this player changed teams because of the money.' That could be the case sometimes, but after a certain level of success? No.”

“I stick at things, will always push myself hard, and little by little, I'll get to where I want to be.”

“I've never thought about leaving Anzhi since I came here. Not for a single second.”

“What I love about England is that the fans have great respect for the players on and off the pitch.”

“I can only say what I have lived and experienced. And the majority of people who have been to Makhachkala have come back with different opinions. It's a relaxed city but very lively, like many of the capitals in the world. At first sight, you would never say that there are political problems.”

“I'm the best goal-scorer in the history of the African Cup.”

“I've won the African Cup, I've won an Olympic gold medal. That says everything.”

“I've worked hard and dreamed, and that helped me become one of the best players in the world.”

“Why don't you think we should dream of an African team winning the World Cup for the first time? People never allow this thought to cross their minds, and it is shameful. When you try to even say it, people look at you as if you're joking, but they forget that dreaming is the first step to success.”

“I have been to the States many times. What I enjoy most is the feeling of being undercover, that no one recognizes me. When I go to the airport almost anywhere in Europe or Africa, I am recognized.”

“English football is very different, and I had to adapt to it much more than I would have had if I had stayed in the Russian league. But after a season, I felt a lot better, a lot fitter.”