England Out Of World Cup Quotes & Sayings

Perhaps we could revisit the issue of World Cup Host selection for 2018/2022 as some countries feel, and we did say, they are more suitable. Russia was the only high risk location for 2018 and racial chanting is rife there but a Mr. R. Abramovich paid a significant fee to fund the voting proceedings and, not to be discriminatory, we would have to see the same thing from any England/Spain representatives wishing to have another vote. — Sepp Blatter

Everybody in Argentina can remember 'the hand of God' in the England match in the 1986 World Cup. Now, in my country, the 'hand of God' has brought us an Argentinian pope. — Diego Maradona

I will never forget my first game for England at the World Cup, It was against Turkey ... no I mean Tunisia. — David Seaman

It was my proudest moment as a manager when England drew 0-0 with Italy in Rome to qualify for the World Cup finals. Fifteen years later, the stakes are equally high for both countries as they go head-to-head for a semi-final place at the European Championship. — Glenn Hoddle

Head coach of the England team demands management skills that Brian does not have. We had a head coach who wanted one thing, other coaches who wanted other things. The players hadn't a clue what was going on. Somehow we'd managed to turn our World Cup campaign into a Monty Python sketch - called The Life of Brian. — Lawrence Dallaglio

I was an ambassador for Betway during the Rugby World Cup and at the moment I'm working as an ambassador for Artemis Investment Management. I also organised the first Rugby Aid in 2015. We had celebrities playing rugby against former England team players and raised a ton of money for Rugby For Heroes [a charity for former servicemen and women]. Only one celeb got crunched quite badly - Jaime Laing from Made in Chelsea ended up with cracked ribs. — Mike Tindall

Everyone knows that England are a far better team than their World Cup performance suggests. It's vital that we play with confidence and take the strength and competition of the engage Super League in to the Four Nations. — Paul Sculthorpe

I know it is easy to criticise and I accept it is a difficult job managing England but the man in charge must be passionate and realise he owes it to the nation to win the World Cup. — Dave Whelan

The FA Cup is still domestically the best cup in the world. — Glenn Hoddle

To play in the World Cup and try to win something for England was the ultimate. — Peter Shilton

Baseball and American football and hockey are all ahead because they have a history. The MLS is kind of new. So hopefully, in time, and with players coming and trying to develop the game, and the U.S. team also doing well - at the last World Cup, they finished above England and created some buzz. — Thierry Henry

I love football, but I'm sick of the World Cup. I don't even care about England. — Elton John

Winning the World Cup was the worst thing that ever happened to the England team. — Clive Woodward

They always lose when it matters (getting it wrong about England in the rugby world cup final 2003). — Bernard Laporte

Being an ex-England manager, one that failed to qualify for the World Cup, is like being a dead politician. — Graham Taylor

I think everyone around the world knows the tools are there in England's armoury to do well in a World Cup. The challenge is to go out there and prove it. — Steven Gerrard

Nothing is more important to England's arrangements for the World Cup than the state of David Beckham's foot. — Tony Blair

Only 38 per cent of players in the Premier League are English; that is a damning statistic. Soon, the England manager will have to go scouting for players in the Championship - and when I say 'soon' I mean the next four or five years, perhaps even for the next World Cup. — Glenn Hoddle

Rob Green needed to get the long barrier out, didn't he? — James Anderson

If England had Fergie, Wenger or Mourinho in charge, they would win the World Cup. — Andy Gray

I feel I have grown up. I am a man. It's important in my football too. When everything is good, I don't think you grow up fantastically, I think maybe you need a few problems to grow up. It is good if people in England have started to admire me. I think I have changed a little since the World Cup. I am stronger with my mentality and with my game as well. — Cristiano Ronaldo

If I'd still been in one piece from the World Cup and gone through my career, what type of player would I have been? No doubt about it, if I hadn't had as many injuries I would have been the all-time leading scorer for England. — Michael Owen

I would like to wish the England squad every success. I would also very much like to extend those wishes to Martin Johnson, Brian Smith, Mike Ford, John Wells, Graham Rowntree and the rest of the England 2011 World Cup management team who have been fantastic and deserve people to know that. — Jonny Wilkinson

You know the marathon in my country is just exceptional. It's like soccer in England. If England win the world cup and Ethiopia win the marathon - it's the same. — Haile Gebrselassie

England did nothing in that World Cup, so why were they bringing books out? 'We got beat in the quarter-finals. I played like s**t. Here's my book.' — Joey Barton

They might have beaten us at our national sport, but we managed to beat them at their national sport twice in the 20th century. [Replying to Kenneth Clarke, who said, "Isn't it terrible about losing to the Germans at our national sport?" when England lost to Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Semi-final.] — Margaret Thatcher

[On England's elimination from the 2002 World Cup after losing 2-1 to Brazil] Never was Steven Gerrard more noticeably missed, for his ability to pass, rather than kick the ball over 40 yards and for his steely mentality. Not for the first time, Eriksson's substitutions were baffling. The situation cried for Joe Cole, the one England player with a trick to beat a man, but it was the convalescent Kieron Dyer who was sent on, in place of Sinclair. Owen, never fully fit, was withdrawn after 80 minutes, at which stage Eriksson sent on Darius Vassell and Teddy Sheringham in a move which smacked of desperation, rather than tactical nous. From Sven-Goran Eriksson: The Final Reckoning — Joe Lovejoy