Explore Quotes by Gary Lineker

Fundamentally, footballers don't look around a dressing room and think, 'He's a black player... he's Japanese.' They don't think like that. They think, 'He's a good player; he can help. He's not very good.' I'm not trying to defend anyone's actions, but there are going to be isolated incidents because it's an emotive, passionate sport.

People are possibly not spelling 'Leicester' correctly everywhere round the globe, but they are at least saying it correctly now.

I don't feel that I'm particularly political. I'm interested in politics; I'll express my view if I feel strongly about something, but humanitarian issues, I think, are slightly different.

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

I've been in the public eye so long, I can't remember how it was when it was different - from my mid-20s onwards, when my career started to blossom and I became an international, world cups and things.

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

The possibility that a provincial town could win the League completely bucks the trend.

I think if I'd ever had any skeletons in the closet, they'd have been out a long time ago.

The way children are taught football doesn't encourage skill; the focus is on other areas.

I try very hard to be bad, but people never take me seriously.

I've heard things said on football pitches that players clearly don't mean, whether it's racism or just an abusive comment in the heat of the moment.

I've had hundreds of requests from journalists all over the world asking me to speak about Leicester, which is astonishing. It's captured the imagination.

In terms of politics, I just look at people's policies, and sometimes I agree with something, sometimes I won't.

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.

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 hear it all the time in the street: 'It's the crisp bloke.'

Not many players would turn down a chance to play for Real Madrid and Barcelona, as they're right at the top the tree in terms of football.

I've known Mark Hughes for half a lifetime. We joined Barcelona in the same summer of 1986, played together under Terry Venables and Luis Aragones, and have kept in touch ever since.

I can't understand why someone wouldn't have a degree of sympathy for people that had to flee their country, travel to try and find their home somewhere, and nobody wants them. How could you not be a little bit sympathetic?

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

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.