Rivals
“He is a specialist in failure. I'm not.”
— On Arsène Wenger, 2014
“As we say in Portugal, they brought the bus and they left the bus in front of the goal.”
— After a 0-0 against Tottenham – the birth of 'parking the bus', 2004
“This is football from the 19th century.”
— Chelsea, on West Ham's defensive approach, 2014
“I understand why he is emotional. You would be sad if your team got dominated by opponents who have been built with 10 per cent of your budget.”
— FC Porto, on Sir Alex Ferguson after beating Manchester United in the Champions League, 2004
“I don't like intellectual prostitution, I like intellectual honesty. … We haven't talked about Milan, who will finish the season with zero titles.”
— Inter, at a press conference after a row over a penalty against Roma, 2009
“At almost 70 years of age has won a Super Cup and another small cup. He is too old to change his mentality.”
— Inter, replying to Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri, 2008
“As for Lo Monaco, I do not know who he is. With the name Monaco, I have heard of Bayern Monaco (Munich) and the Monaco GP, the Tibetan Monaco (Monk) and the Principality of Monaco. I've never heard of any others.”
— Inter, replying to Catania's chief executive Pietro Lo Monaco, 2008
“If I tell UEFA what I really think and feel, my career would end now. Instead, I will just ask a question to which I hope one day to get a response: Why? Why Ovrebo? Why Busacca? Why De Bleeckere? Why Stark? Why? Because every semi-final the same things happen.”
— Real Madrid, after the Champions League semi-final first-leg defeat by Barcelona, 2011
“I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur. He likes to watch other people.”
— Chelsea, on Arsène Wenger's comments about the club, 2005
“I've sat in this chair twice before in the Champions League, and I knock Man Utd out at home twice, with Porto - Man Utd out, and with Real Madrid - Man Utd out. So this is nothing new for this football club.”
— Manchester United, after a Champions League exit to Sevilla at Old Trafford, 2018