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'In this room, he's the f***ing boss' - the best quotes of 2011 in Spain
From the build-up to the Clasico blockbusters to the fall-out of the Madrid derby, Goal.com picks out the best soundbites of 2011 in Spanish football
29 Dec 2011 11:09:00
Getty
Spanish football in 2011 wasn't just all about the spectacle on the pitch, or those pesky Barcelona-Real Madrid games. Off the field, away from all the glow of the floodlights, there's the glare of the cameras and the microphones from the media.
With colourful characters such as Jose Maria del Nido and Enrique Cerezo to the ever-outspoken Jose Mourinho, there was no shortage of tiki-taka outside the football pitches. We look back at some of the best and most memorable quotes of 2011 from Spain.
In a year where civilian uprising and the global Occupy movement dominated the news headlines, one player, Javi Poves, has taken the same stance in football, cancelling his contract with Sporting Gijon and quitting the game after admitting he had become disillusioned with the greed and corruption in the sport and in politics.
The 24-year-old Poves has expressed his desire to go back to university to study and help others socially, while also calling on football's big names such as Pele, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi to do "much more" to help the less fortunate.
The Malaga coach, prior to his team's clash against Los Blancos, reminisced about his time spent at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having previously made several digs at Madrid's president Florentino Perez, the Chilean continued to criticise his former employer.
Sevilla's charismatic president and Al Capone look-alike was beaming after his side's 0-0 draw with Barcelona earlier this season. Two months later, he was thrown in jail. Not for the quote, though.
In what was the Awkward Moment of the Year in Spanish football, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo was seated in the same table as Cristiano Ronaldo at an awards ceremony organised by AS, just three days after the derby between Real Madrid and Atleti.
As Cerezo took his seat, Ronaldo - who, along with his team-mates, had to endure a barrage of tackles against Atletico and sustained an injury - trained an evil, fiery glare on the supremo, before sarcastically asking:
Cerezo duly replied...
Real Betis coach Pepe Mel made it abundantly clear that Ronaldo's winking has no effect on him, and that he prefers the Hollywood actress. The comments came on the eve of Real Madrid's clash against Betis, after Ronaldo had responded to the heckling he received in the 1-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb with this Cristiano classic...
"The truth is I live a very normal life. I'd rather live quietly at home, and when I have to go shopping, I get it done without any problems. I got tired of the Playstation and play very little now. I have to meet many expectations of myself."
- Lionel Messi
How do you pick just one quote from the Jose Vault of Soundbites?
Mourinho added more controversial and amusing quotes to his catalogue of hits in 2011, thanks largely to the tempestuous series of Clasico clashes with Barcelona. But his lengthy rant after the 2-0 home defeat to Barca in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final quickly became the stuff of legends.
Not many people can upstage Jose Mourinho when it comes to the press room, as Pep himself rightly pointed out. But Guardiola did exactly just that on the eve of Barcelona's first leg Champions League semi-final showdown at Real Madrid, as he finally retorted to his counter-part's constant mind games.
For all the vitriolic verbal volleys between Barca and Madrid throughout 2011, this has to take the cake. That's another win for Pep over Jose.
With colourful characters such as Jose Maria del Nido and Enrique Cerezo to the ever-outspoken Jose Mourinho, there was no shortage of tiki-taka outside the football pitches. We look back at some of the best and most memorable quotes of 2011 from Spain.
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| De-Occupy Football |
"The more you know about football the more you realise it is all about money, that it is rotten and this takes away your enthusiasm. What point is there in earning €800 or €1,000 if you know you are obtaining it through the suffering of many people? There is only money and corruption in football."
- Javi Poves
- Javi Poves
In a year where civilian uprising and the global Occupy movement dominated the news headlines, one player, Javi Poves, has taken the same stance in football, cancelling his contract with Sporting Gijon and quitting the game after admitting he had become disillusioned with the greed and corruption in the sport and in politics.
The 24-year-old Poves has expressed his desire to go back to university to study and help others socially, while also calling on football's big names such as Pele, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi to do "much more" to help the less fortunate.
| Pellegrini vs Perez |
"At Real Madrid, if you think differently from the president, the one who has to leave is the coach."
- Manuel Pellegrini
- Manuel Pellegrini
The Malaga coach, prior to his team's clash against Los Blancos, reminisced about his time spent at the Santiago Bernabeu. Having previously made several digs at Madrid's president Florentino Perez, the Chilean continued to criticise his former employer.
| Pigs in the puddle |
"I loved seeing the Sevilla players on the field, I enjoyed it like a pig in a puddle."
- Jose Maria del Nido
- Jose Maria del Nido
Sevilla's charismatic president and Al Capone look-alike was beaming after his side's 0-0 draw with Barcelona earlier this season. Two months later, he was thrown in jail. Not for the quote, though.
| That little guy with a lot of hair |
In what was the Awkward Moment of the Year in Spanish football, Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo was seated in the same table as Cristiano Ronaldo at an awards ceremony organised by AS, just three days after the derby between Real Madrid and Atleti.
As Cerezo took his seat, Ronaldo - who, along with his team-mates, had to endure a barrage of tackles against Atletico and sustained an injury - trained an evil, fiery glare on the supremo, before sarcastically asking:
"Will there be an award for kicking?"
Cerezo duly replied...
"You do the same. Pepe, [Ricardo] Carvalho, [Sergio] Ramos and that little guy with a lot of hair ... ah yes, Marcelo."
| Ronaldo no match for Scarlett |
"The thing about him being good looking is debatable. I like Scarlett Johansson more than Cristiano Ronaldo."
- Pepe Mel
- Pepe Mel
Real Betis coach Pepe Mel made it abundantly clear that Ronaldo's winking has no effect on him, and that he prefers the Hollywood actress. The comments came on the eve of Real Madrid's clash against Betis, after Ronaldo had responded to the heckling he received in the 1-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb with this Cristiano classic...
"I think that because I am rich, good looking and a great player people are envious of me. I don't have any other explanation."
| It's a messy life |
"The truth is I live a very normal life. I'd rather live quietly at home, and when I have to go shopping, I get it done without any problems. I got tired of the Playstation and play very little now. I have to meet many expectations of myself."
- Lionel Messi
Barcelona's Argentine superstar has had another hectic year in 2011, where he has
hogged the headlines more often than most players do in their entire careers. But Messi gave a glimpse of his private life, and how he has kicked out his Playstation addiction.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said in 2010 that Messi "is like a Playstation". You just have to wonder if Playstation Messi is as good as the real Messi.
hogged the headlines more often than most players do in their entire careers. But Messi gave a glimpse of his private life, and how he has kicked out his Playstation addiction.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said in 2010 that Messi "is like a Playstation". You just have to wonder if Playstation Messi is as good as the real Messi.
| The Mourinho Manifesto |
"Sometimes, it's disgusting to live in this world, but this is apparently our world. Once again, we see that you don't stand a chance against Barcelona. Uefa doesn't allow any team to really do something against them. I really don't know what's behind all this. Maybe it's their ties with Unicef or maybe it's because they just find Barcelona a sympathetic club. I've been wondering about this all my life and I'll get an answer one day."
- Jose Mourinho
- Jose Mourinho
How do you pick just one quote from the Jose Vault of Soundbites?
Mourinho added more controversial and amusing quotes to his catalogue of hits in 2011, thanks largely to the tempestuous series of Clasico clashes with Barcelona. But his lengthy rant after the 2-0 home defeat to Barca in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final quickly became the stuff of legends.
| Pep's outburst |
"In this room he [Jose Mourinho] is the f***ing chief, the f***king boss, and I can never compete with that. If Barcelona want someone who competes in that way, then they should look for another manager. But we, as people and an institution, don't do that."
- Pep Guardiola
- Pep Guardiola
Not many people can upstage Jose Mourinho when it comes to the press room, as Pep himself rightly pointed out. But Guardiola did exactly just that on the eve of Barcelona's first leg Champions League semi-final showdown at Real Madrid, as he finally retorted to his counter-part's constant mind games.
For all the vitriolic verbal volleys between Barca and Madrid throughout 2011, this has to take the cake. That's another win for Pep over Jose.
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