Wendie Renard

“When I lost my father at 8 years old, something happened in my head. I told myself, 'Maman and Papa won't always be there, so if you see an opportunity, you have to seize it.'”

“I am a competitor and every time I am on the pitch, I want to win.”

“People only talk about the winners, people talk about you if you win a trophy.”

“You progress by mixing with great players, players who hate losing, and even coaches who drum it into you. When a coach keeps telling you to win, win, win, win, you can't go thinking about losing, losing, losing.”

“We know England is a great footballing nation. The fans are really supportive.”

“There were so many I admired, but the ones that really made me fall in love with football were Ronaldinho and Zidane.”

“Even in school, when they asked us what we wanted to be, I wrote, 'A professional footballer.'”

“It's quite simple really: A World Cup comes around once every four years and you don't get to play a quarterfinal against the world No. 1 every day of your life. We can't get to the end of the game and say, 'Oh, we should have done this better.' You only get one shot and you've got to take it.”

“When I signed my first professional contract in 2009, it was a dream.”

“I needed to be busy all the time; I was almost a hyperactive child. At home, I always had a ball.”

“Every match is just as important, whether it be a final or a league game, and the ambition is always to win.”

“I often say it but it's what my sweat and blood and the sweat and blood for all of us goes into, so when you start a season with nothing and you end up with a trophy, there is nothing better. That is my motivation.”

“I want back-to-back-to-back Champions League titles.”

“I've won a lot with my club but there is a difference between your club and country.”

“I've always said the EURO is more difficult than the World Cup as the level is tighter. It includes the best European sides and the best players in the world too.”

“When more than 45,000 people are singing the French national anthem, it does drive you forward.”

“I want league records. I want rivalries. I want the insults when I walk onto the pitch in a derby.”

“It's not our job to drop to the level of others. It's up to them to raise themselves to our level.”

“When I first got to Lyon, my coach at the time, Nicolas Quinault, was very keen for me to play as a defensive midfielder, a bit like Patrick Vieira. But I've always preferred playing at the back. I love being able to see the whole game. My height makes that a bit easier.”

“I know where I come from, and that's important, so that you understand the sacrifices you've made and the work you've put in to get to a certain point. That said, I also like to have a laugh and party.”