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.
Interpretation
Success comes from consistent effort and being ready for opportunities at all times.
In this quote, Gary Lineker emphasizes that success is not merely about being lucky or opportunistic. Instead, it involves persistent preparation and the readiness to capitalize on opportunities when they arise. By consistently positioning oneself to succeed, even if most attempts seem fruitless, one can eventually seize the moment when it truly counts, thus redefining what it means to be 'in the right place at the right time.'
In practice
This quote can inspire athletes to train consistently, regardless of immediate results.
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.
Playing football and presenting TV are totally different things, but there are similarities: it's exciting, it can go well, it can go badly... the difference is when presenting goes badly, it doesn't really affect anyone's life, whereas when you have a bad day on the pitch, it affects people's moods for a whole week.
Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.
I watched Leicester City lose in the 1969 FA Cup final with my dad and granddad when I was eight and cried all the way home. I have seen them get promoted and relegated. I played for them for eight years. I even got a group of like-minded fans and friends to stump up a few quid to salvage the club when they went into liquidation.
Opportunities, many times, are so small that we glimpse them not and yet they are often the seeds of great enterprises. Opportunities are also everywhere and so you must always let your hook be hanging. When you least expect it, a great fish will swim by.
People respect you because they feel you've survived hard times and endured, and although you've become famous, you haven't become phony.
Much of our American progress has been the product of the individual who had an idea; pursued it; fashioned it; tenaciously clung to it against all odds; and then produced it, sold it, and profited from it.
Thankfully I've been quite lucky in my career, but it's always good to re-evaluate things and think about what else you want to do.
Always have one possibility in mind and that is to go to the top, to be the best. Everything else should just be a means to that end.
Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.
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