Gary Lineker Quotations

Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.

My fiancee's brother-in-law was recently paralysed in an accident and it really brought home the fact that thousands of young people live with spinal injuries. It's an issue I wish had more coverage.

I've only got a Saturday job so my weekdays are generally pretty free.

We are in the entertainment business and we all know if you are top of the tree you get the big money. Those of us who have been in it are the fortunate ones but we understand that we probably don't deserve it as much as the nurses or teachers.

I know I am extraordinarily lucky to be doing what I am doing. I have worked hard along the way and I have been blessed too. I have had a great life.

If somebody in the crowd spits at you, you've got to swallow it.

Ooh, it's too embarrassing to share my innermost romantic secrets - although I have written Danielle the odd poem. If anything they are more comedic than romantic. They used to be well-received but that was before she started studying Shakespeare at drama college. Now I feel so inept.

I am not leaving twitter. If the mindless few defeat the thoughtful majority we are all doomed.

The best, most successful managers in the modern era are those who can keep a player happy even if he is not in the team. Given the size of the squads and the use of rotation nowadays, that's tougher than it's ever been.

You've got no chance of reaching the top if you're just playing for money.

I wouldn't want to go out six nights a week and watch somebody's reserves playing to check out a footballer to see if we're going to buy him.

The World Cup is every four years, so it's going to be a perennial problem.

I know I could never be in a pop band. I honestly have an appalling voice.

I try to avoid saying 'fantastic' too often and 'obviously' is a dangerous word for all broadcasters.

I was only interested in scoring goals. I wasn't interested in anything else.

My eldest son George had acute myeloid leukaemia when he was a tiny baby, he is now 20 and doing very well. He is a mini-miracle in many ways.

I'm disappearing from twitter for a while. Need a break from the bile. Local prejudice just seems to bring out the worst in some people.

The truth is I don't feel too bad for my age. I actually have a better shape now than I used to.

The whole kiss-and-tell thing is a negative approach that often happens in a World Cup. We will see negative stories about the players and it can affect their confidence and the overall performance of the national team on the pitch, let alone the bid to actually stage the competition.

That's one of the magical things about the Olympics, Team GB will have someone challenging in a sport that we've never watched and all of a sudden it'll be the biggest thing ever.

When I see old photos of me on the beach I don't look too bad... but it's hard trying to breathe in for such a long time when I spot the photographers!

I just think to be a manager you've got to live and breathe and have this incredible enthusiasm for football, the whole thing. And while I love the game, and it's been a large part of my life, it's not the only thing in my life.

When you're winning games, everyone thinks everything the manager says and does is fantastic. Then it goes the other way, and those earlier criticisms of players can backfire.

I was quite good at football once, although other than that my speciality would be maths. I'm great at sudokus and find all the spin-off games pretty easy too.

We have got too many kids around the house to have a romantic meal at home. But Danielle is a fantastic cook. She does a brilliant lasagna, great roasts and a great chilli dish. She knows the way to my heart.

My wife Danielle and I love travelling, different cultures and good weather.

The train's always full of football fans going up to see matches. Oh, they make sure I hear their points of view all right. They all want to have their say about their team, and make their opinions known.

I think it's a wonderful idea and the animation and stories are terrific.

An excellent player - but he does have a black side

It's a simple and brilliant idea. As I know only too well, the hospital does vital work and we all feel that the staff should have the best buildings and facilities money can buy.

It's amazing what you can see through Sven's specs - I must get a pair.

Congratulations to Thierry Henry on a truly wonderful career. One of the great footballers of our time and a top bloke. Bonne chance.

If someone in the crowd spits at you, you have just got to swallow it.

There's no in between-you're either good or bad. We were in between.

A handball is when your hand touches the ball.

...an excellent player, but he [Ian Wright] does have a black side.

Messi doesn't have to do it in the Premier League to prove himself. The Champions League is the ultimate club competition. If he was in the Premier League, he'd be the best player by some distance.

Speaking Spanish and Japanese has opened doors in my career and helped me bridge cultural differences, both in my personal and business life. During my football career I realised quickly what difference language skills can make

Ageing footballers never lose their commitment; they just lose their pace

You can never really justify wages in the entertainment business, but it is what it is.

Footballers are more likely to work better if they get a pat on their back from the boss. A knife in the back is never the answer.

Fella’s a genius. Best ever by a distance in my life time. Never really saw Pele… Souness, Gullit, Venables and now Rooney agree Messi is the best they have seen. He plays a game with which we are not familiar.

To be honest, it would have been better to watch it on Ceefax.

He's got great credentials by winning the World Cup but he did it with Brazil - my granny could probably have managed Brazil to World Cup success.

Chris Hughton has been sacked by Norwich. Now? With 5 games to go? Utterly bonkers!

The big thing is, everybody says it's being in the right place at the right time. But it's more than that, it's being in the right place all the time. Because if I make 20 runs to the near post and each time I lose my defender, and 19 times the ball goes over my head or behind me - then one time I'm three yards out, the ball comes to the right place and I tap it in - then people say, right place, right time. And I was there *all* the time.

Every act of kindness is potent and lingers long in the heart of the recipient.

Soccer is a game for 22 people that run around, play the ball, and one referee who makes a slew of mistakes, and in the end Germany always wins.