Robert Pires Quotes, a complete collection

Robert Pires is a French football coach and a retired player. As a player,

was a star for the France national team that won the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000. Widely regarded as one of the best wingers of his generation, Pires had the best years of his club career at

and also had a successful spells at Villareal before retiring at the age of 41 with the Indian club, FC Goa.

On the individual level, Pires won many top awards during his illustrated career, the most important of them were the Division 1 Young Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Team of the Year. He also won the FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball and Golden Shoe in 2001.

At the international level, Pires scored 14 goals in 79 games during his 11 years career with France national team.  Known for his technique and goal scoring instinct, Pires He scored 165 goals in 720 matches during his club career. In the following article we present you with a complete collection of

Robert Pires quotes

.

Best Collection of Robert Pires quotes

We present football fans with the Best collection of Robert Pires quotes which includes his comments about his personality and career as well as his comments on other football stars.

Robert Pires quotes about his personal life

Robert Pires was born into a football loving family from the city of Metz in France. His father was Portuguese and his mother was Spanish. Pires had an amazing relationship with his parents. He idolized his father, who was an amateur player himself. He once confessed he had difficulty in school because he did not speak French well at the time, due to the fact his parents only spoke Spanish and Portuguese.

Pires is a true family person and has a close relationship with his siblings and parents. He has been married twice. His first marriage with a girl named Nathalie lasted seven years. He has been married to Jessica Lemarie since 2015. It is certainly interesting to know more about Robert Pires quotes on his own childhood, personality and private life.

On His childhood and family

I believe one's relatives are the most important people of all, they form a protective circle around you.

At 15, I was playing with the C team at Reims and I wanted to leave. It's a difficult age for a kid - I wanted to go out with my mates, party... girls... that happens to everyone. Luckily, my mum told me: 'You don't know what you want, it's football - it's your dream and it could be a great job.' She was right.

When one is small, one always looks up at someone. To me, it was my father, Antonio, a former amateur football player. He was a striker of great talent. He has always been a role-model.

The bond I feel for my parents is very strong.

I started playing with my dad, and football was my dream forever. Step by step, I learnt a lot. I worked really hard, and finally when I was eighteen, I signed my first professional contract.

On his hobbies and preferences

I never watched British television. I bought myself a satellite for French, Spanish and Portuguese TV, instead.

L'Etoile, in Soho, is the best French restaurant in London.

In France, the gastronomy is one of the best in the world. But when you move to England, everybody tells you to be careful about fish & chips. And avoid fried English breakfasts. I now know why.

I love F1, the cars and the speed.

On his personality, Beliefs and objectives

I consider myself a survivor.

I believe one must always put events into perspective.

It's never easy to switch from one football to another one, from one culture, one language to a new one.

You can't know where you're going when you're a coach.

For me, the best thing about being a footballer is that indescribable feeling when you are on a pitch doing your job. I don't know what to say - it's what I love.

Robert Pires quotes about football and his playing style

Robert Pires was known the most for his finishing, speed, technique, and trickery in possession. He was also praised for his decision-making, tactical awareness, creativity and dribbling skills. Pires was been a key member of the France national team and Arsenal in their golden years at the beginning of the 21st century. The followings are the

top quotes by Robert Pires

about football and his own playing style.

On football

When you join a team you have to get on with everybody.

I've always loved playing football.

Football is unique because it enables you to travel, learn about other cultures, meet new people and speak other languages.

I learned everything in France, I grew up in France, but England is not the same football. It's very difficult, it's very tough, very physical.

When I talk about football and the Premier League I think everything is possible.

What is good with the English clubs is that they respect the old players.

In England, football is a religion. In France, football is not a religion. It's wine and food.

Losing at Old Trafford happens to everyone.

You can be a manager in Spain, France or Italy but when you come to England the intensity is totally different. It is about the fight, the spirit. The intensity is extremely difficult.

If you want to build a good team, you need to spend a lot of money, especially in the Premier League.

All the top clubs want to sign great players, but if you want a great player it costs a lot of money.

A team is not made up of just one player.

In Spain, we always talk about Madrid and Barca for the title and that is normal because they are the two teams with the most history.

If you have the chance to go to MLS, it is a good opportunity.

If you look at La Liga, you will see how important the academies are when it comes to producing new talent. Academies play a major role and that is something India should understand.

If you play in France, Spain or Italy it is not the same football, especially when you play in England. Every game is very difficult.

It's very tough in the U.K. For me, it was totally different. English football and French football are not the same.

Whether it's a coach or a player arriving during the season it's not easy.

Everyone benefits from a strong Paris Saint-Germain - the club itself, the French league and also the Champions League.

I don't like the fact that there can be clans within a team. A team has to be unified!

People think this is easy to be a football player. They only see the summit but they don't see the ascent, which is far longer and tougher than the career peaks. And there are so few of us to reach the summits. Some might earn €305,000 per month but there are a lot more for whom life is hell.

On his playing style

You lose speed, that's normal, but the technique you never lose.

When you arrive at the training ground, you need to disconnect and focus on training.

For me, I like to play several games a week because it will help maintain your physical levels throughout the season. Besides, that's what we like to do as footballers.

For me, the goals were not important, but instead to lift some silverware at the end of the season. That is the objective for a footballer.

All the coaches I've had have been important for me, whether it was Joel Muller at Metz, Rolland Courbis at Marseille, Manuel Pellegrini at Villarreal or Roger Lemerre with Les Bleus. All of them were important along the way, and each of them had faith in me and let me play.

I never expected to adapt so quickly, but if you are a foreigner it's up to you to adapt to English football because you can't change it. I think I've achieved something in the way I adapted.

When you haven't played for more than six months, scoring is the ultimate pleasure. It's ecstasy.

I did not dive and I am not a cheat. That is not the way I play.

Chipping the ball was my favourite move, the one that I worked on a lot in training. And it’s true that I was lucky enough to score quite a few goals like that.

Robert Pires quotes on Messi and Ronaldo

In every generation, young football fans argue endlessly about who is the best player of the history of football. In our generation the debate is between

and

fans. Pires played against Ronaldo and Messi in the final years of his career and has praised both of them many times in his interviews. Here are

Robert Pires quotes on Lionel Messi and Cristiano

Ronaldo

.

it is impossible to stop him. It was incredible.  I have played with Zidane, Henry and [Juan Román] Riquelme, and against Ronaldinho and Cristiano, but Messi has something that nobody else has. I don't know if he is the best in history, but there are few where he is.

He is already under pressure at Madrid but in the Portugal national team, perhaps the pressure is even bigger, It must not be easy for him. He is not a machine, he is a player. Sometimes he plays very well, sometimes he is tired. That is normal.

Top quotes by Robert Pires about famous football players and teams

In this part of the article we present you with the top quotes by Robert Pires about other football great stars and teams, including his comments on his famous coach at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger.

On Mesut Ozil

It's a huge honour that I'm mentioned in the same breath as Mesut.

You can compare Mesut Ozil to Dennis Bergkamp, because they play just behind the striker.

On Matteo Guendouzi

For Arsenal it's very important to have a player like Matteo Guendouzi. He's a good player and I think he can make a success with Arsenal. I hope so. He's a great player, he's very talented and he's very confident.

On Andres Iniesta

We always talk about Messi, but without Iniesta Barcelona are a different team. I loved watching

.

On Lucas Torreira

I love Lucas Torreira. When you play in his position you need to be a warrior, and he's a warrior. He likes to fight a good fight with the other players and technically he's very good.

On Thierry Henry

Fans should remember Thierry Henry when he joined Arsenal. He didn't score much before becoming an icon of this club.

On Zinedine Zidane

was a leader and a strong character.

It would be very good news for the Premier League if Zidane moved to England.

I learned a lot from Zinedine Zidane with the national team.

On Kylian Mbappe

I think

will win the Ballon d'Or, there's no doubt about that.

Mbappe always performs whether that's in Ligue 1, Champions League or with the France national team.

On Unai Emery

Unai Emery's philosophy is to play good football and his experience with Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain makes him a great candidate for the Arsenal job.

On Dennis Bergkamp

When people ask me the best player I played with, I always say Dennis Bergkamp. He just had so much class.

When I joined Arsenal in 2000 I learned a lot from Dennis Bergkamp. He was the mind of the team and he made things look easy.

On Olivier Giroud

I believe in

because he loves to fight, fight the good fight and not for himself, but for the team.

On Ousmane Dembele

If I had to choose, I would not change Dembele for Neymar. Ousmane is 21, plays with the left and the right [foot] with a lot of quality with the ball. He has a lot of potential, more than what we've seen so far.

On Ashly Cole

I heard what Ashley Cole said about kicking me if he has to, but he will have to catch me first. When we step out on to the pitch on Sunday, all friendships will be forgotten.

On De Bruyne

Pires is better than... De Bruyne!

On Arsene Wenger

In France, it is important to work every morning on the tactical. Wenger worked every morning on the tactical.

I think football needs guys like Arsene Wenger. It was an honour and a privilege to work for

.

Arsene helped me off the field too. He was like a second dad to me. He loved a player with very good quality and ability with the ball. That's why he enjoyed Thierry Henry, Nwankwo Kanu and Bergkamp.

It was a pleasure to play under Arsene Wenger. He was a great manager and I personally thank him for everything as he brought a new philosophy to the Premier League.

It's not in Wenger's philosophy to go back and sign former players when they are older.

Arsenal needs Arsene Wenger, but also Arsene Wenger needs Arsenal. For me, he will die at Arsenal. He is like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. After you think about Ferguson and United, you then think about Wenger and Arsenal.

Wenger helped me by talking to me almost every day in training.

Coaching with Wenger is a good opportunity to learn.

Best Robert Pires quotes about his club and international career 

We wrap up our article on Robert Pires quotes with a collection of his sayings about his club and international career. Pires started at Metz and spent the best years of his career at Arsenal. His was a key star for the famous Invincibles side which won the league without a single defeat. He also won both the World Cup and the European Championship with France national team. Pires retired in India at the age of 41. Here are the

Best Robert Pires quotes

about his club and international career.

On his international career with France

it was a good goal. It was perfect because it was a goal! And it was only my second cap, so it wasn’t easy, there was lots of pressure on me. But if you look at the context, we were already leading 2-0. so I was more relaxed about trying the lob.

(On his first goal for France)

We were all together, we knew that at any moment, Aime Jacquet was going to prepare his blacklist – choose his six players who would not be part of the squad. And it wasn’t easy because we felt that there was a bit of tension every morning in training, and that’s normal because everyone wanted to go to the World Cup.

To win the World Cup in your own country was magical. When Didier Deschamps lifted the trophy, I thought: 'Wow, I'm a very lucky man.'

What is weird is that I had no emotion. Because there was so much pressure and tension surrounding the match. That’s normal – it’s the final. But then the scenario – it was so hard, for the French, for the Italians. There was nothing between us. And then it’s down to a golden goal. And I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it. And then I put in my cross for David, David scores that goal. And I know I need to run, but I don’t know what’s happening.

(On his assist to Trezequet for the winning goal of Euro 2000 final)

You cannot compare the way someone plays for a club and for a national team. At a club, you spend every day with the same players. In a national team, you are with your team-mates for only a few days.

On the start of his career at Metz

Metz showed enormous confidence in me, especially the club president Carlo Molinari, because it was he who gave me my first professional contract when I was 19. So for me it was very important. Then, I was lucky to stay six years, to meet good people, a good coach. And when you feel that people are behind you, you are freer and more relaxed on the pitch.

It was a big family, we were a small club with a small budget, we didn’t have big salaries, but we all had the same aim – to try to win the league. It may have seemed ridiculous to some people, but for us it was important because we felt that we had a good team with lots of qualities.

On his time at Arsenal

When I think of Arsenal, my favourite personal memory that I recall is scoring my first goal for the Club - away to Lazio in the Champions League. It was important because when you join a new club, you really want to score your first goal. It's where everything started for me at this club

I grew up in France, I learned football in France, but I found passion in England.

You know when you play for Arsenal, if you want to play for Arsenal, you need to be very, very good.

My time with Arsenal at the beginning was very difficult. Adaptation is very important and it was very long for me. But Arsene Wenger helped me during five or six months.

When you are young and you join Arsenal, the communication with the manager is very important.

I spent six beautiful years at Arsenal.

Leaving Arsenal was the most difficult decision of my career.

Liverpool is a great club and I always enjoyed playing at Anfield because the fans are so passionate.

If you play for Arsenal, it means that you have some quality.

The 2002 Premier League was the best trophy for me.

I enjoyed playing against Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool but the north London derby was totally different. I have so many great memories from this fixture.

When you are an ex-footballer you want to stay with the one team and one club, and Arsenal is my club.

I scored eight goals in 12 games against Spurs. I'm proud of this achievement because I know this rivalry is very important for the Arsenal fans - when you score eight times against Spurs you are an idol for them. And I know the Spurs fans hate me. I know this and it is a good sensation.

In 2000 I was really close to sign for Real Madrid. I was in Belgium, playing the European Championship. I even took a picture with the Real Madrid shirt because all the parties thought that it was a done deal. But Wenger called me several times and convinced me to sign for Arsenal instead.

When you play for Arsenal you have to try to win all competitions.

It was Thierry Henry's idea and of course it was my mistake, because I missed the ball. I regret the pass but not the penalty. It was a good idea, the people need to watch something new and the penalty between me and Thierry was a new thing.

(On his famous penalty miss with Henry)

On his time at Villareal

I love Villarreal. They are closer to my heart than any other club in Spain.

Being at meal time on time is simple but important for the team. You need the discipline. Every top club is like that. With Arsenal and Villarreal it was the same - strict.

On his retirement from football in India

It was very hard to finish my professional career. But it's OK, I really had played for as long as I could - I was 41 when I played my last match, in India, for FC Goa.

Going to play in India at the end of my career was particularly special. I never thought I would get the chance to even visit India, let alone play football there.

I enjoyed India a lot. I learned a lot and came face to face with the poverty there, which is very, very tough. One thing's for sure: I no longer have the right to complain about anything. That's impossible now. But I discovered a beautiful country, fabulous and very welcoming people, and the local cuisine.

Playing for FC Goa was a great experience for me.

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Robert Pires quotes

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