Athlete Quotes

What the other teams do is something that I can never control, so I just keep focussed on my direction.

We've done all the work that HRC wanted on the twin and the project has been completed. We were consistently up there with the top guys and that is what HRC wanted to prove.

So while I was studying, I rode my Trials bike, then I moved to roadracing.

It's quite easy to start Trials riding. You just need a bike and you're set.

In Malaysia where the front end pushes so much, extra engine braking is really going to help you.

If I had accepted the offers to continue just for the sake of carrying on then it wouldn't have made me happy especially if it was just for money. Now I've got other projects to concentrate on.

I've enjoyed winning races in both 500cc and MotoGP and enjoyed leading the world championship and contesting it right up until the end.

I've decided to retire from top class racing. It has been an incredible experience and has provided with me some unforgettable moments.

I've always like roadracing, but you know how it is in a family when you're young. They thought it was a little too dangerous so I started with Trials riding.

I would obviously like to have been arriving in Valencia with the title still up for grabs, let's not kid ourselves, but even though Valentino has won, the season is not over for me.

I needed some stability, which is why I chose not to change from HRC for this season, which was an option that we had. Apart from being the best team in the world, I also needed some consistency.

I love this sport and I don't want to get involved in politics.

The rider and the team need to understand one another and work in the same direction. Then the rider's happy, and only then will the rider be able to give 100%.

I'm proud of my triumphs. I've dreamed of being world champion, I've had some difficult times and they've made me value the good times.

You get to the plate and nothing is going through your mind. You see the ball, you see the seams.

This game, it seems when you play it the best, is when you're not really thinking a lot and just reacting and keeping it at its simplest point - just see it and hit it.

The biggest thing as I have gotten older is the calmness that's come over me.

I've learned that you have to take responsibility for yourself in this game and lead yourself through it.

I'm still playing the game, having a great time.

I know my swing is going to be there. I don't need 600 swings in the cage; I know where it's at.

I had fun coming every day and playing in front of a packed house - it was exciting.

I can't get into specifics. Someday, hopefully, I'll be able to.

As a younger player, you always kind of play with that fear of failure.

No matter what players say or people say, you want to be liked and appreciated, even if you've had a downfall.

In football, the hero and legend status is given out far too easily for me.

I'm born in Liverpool, I'm a Liverpool supporter.

I'm a fan myself and I'm frustrated just as much as them when we get beat.

I watched Italia '90 with my Mum and Dad and my brother, you know, leaping around the house when the penalties were on... It would be great to be part of that, to have that kind of impact.

I think it all goes down to who plays the better football on the night.

I think everyone around the world knows the tools are there in England's armoury to do well in a World Cup. The challenge is to go out there and prove it.