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.
The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly.
The one requirement for success in our business lives is effort. Either you make the commitment to get results or you don't.
Playing in the playoffs is the best basketball in the world, and if you can learn under that pressure, succeed under that pressure, it gives you more confidence the next year.
I was lousy in school. Real screwed-up. A moron. I was antisocial and didn't bother with the other kids. A really bad student. I didn't have any brains. I didn't know what I was doing there. That's why I became an actor.
There is no such thing as luck, merely opportunity meeting preparedness. George S. Patton Jr.
Those that spend the most effort in search of shortcuts are often the most disappointed and the least successful.
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