“If you don’t have competition in a squad, you can have complacency – and, if you have complacency, you won’t win.”
― Nikita Parris
“The feeling I had at 14, getting selected for Everton’s Under-15 side – that excitement, pride, all the emotions – it never goes away. It still happens when I’m waiting for the England squad announcement. I’ll get sweaty palms, I’ll sit and scroll through my inbox, refreshing it continuously making sure that the email comes through.”
― Nikita Parris
“As a young kid, you never really understand what it takes to be a footballer: what it’s like after you’ve won or what the changing room is like after a loss, or, as an individual, have you played a good game? Have you played a bad game?”
― Nikita Parris
“I do a bit of boxing in the off-season to stay fit – it’s a different kind of fitness.”
― Nikita Parris
“I have a niece now, and it makes me want to be better for her, just to show that there’s a big wide world outside Toxteth, and you can imprint yourself in any one of those places as long as you do the hard work and have the desire.”
― Nikita Parris
“The Champions League is one trophy that I need to win.”
― Nikita Parris
“I just want to be at the best place possible to ensure that I really kick on in my career, that I constantly have challenges, because in football, you don’t have long. It’s easy to become complacent when game time comes so easily, and you’re doing so well.”
― Nikita Parris
“Everyone used to say I’m a rising star, and I’ve got raw talent, but I really wanted to be, honestly, the best.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’m the one who is always bantering. Millie Bright and Rach Daly are pretty bad. Jill Scott is up there, too, but I’m probably the one who initiates it all, and people come back at me.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’m always playing jokes, even on the manager – some, not many. I want to try and keep my place in the squad.”
― Nikita Parris
“When we go out to train, we work hard, but when we’re back in the hotel, you want to chill out. People want to switch off from football because you spend so much time doing it. For me, switching off means playing jokes.”
― Nikita Parris
“You have to sacrifice time with your family, your time as a teenager. You don’t experience life like any other, outside of football. When you go to uni, you can’t live the uni lifestyle. But I’ve never, ever thought about quitting football.”
― Nikita Parris
“I knew from a young age what I wanted to do, but that’s not the case for everyone. Some go through different paths to reach their destination.”
― Nikita Parris
“I go home every day, and my mum still lives in the same house. It’s not one of the most affluent areas of Liverpool – some may say it’s deprived – but we have an abundance of love and support.”
― Nikita Parris
“I was a natural talent, a raw talent. Then I came to Manchester City, and I learned philosophies.”
― Nikita Parris
“On an odd occasion, you’ll still find me shouting at referees when I’ve become increasingly frustrated, but I’ve tried to control my temper.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’ve grown not just as a player but as a person. But my passion will always remain. It’s there because I love football, and I love fighting for my club and my country.”
― Nikita Parris
“Every time I step on the pitch, I think about winning and putting on a performance that ensures my team comes out on top.”
― Nikita Parris
“Ever since I was kid, I dreamed of playing for England.”
― Nikita Parris
“Every time I step onto the pitch for England, I feel great pride. I want to keep working hard to stay in the starting XI and push on to win trophies.”
― Nikita Parris
“Playing at the Women’s World Cup is my long-term goal and, hopefully, I can contribute to winning a medal.”
― Nikita Parris
“That first game was so hyped up, and it was obviously my first experience of a crowd in a World Cup. When I first walked out and heard the national anthem, it was just an unreal experience. I didn’t expect a crowd like that.”
― Nikita Parris
“It was never a case of male and female when I was growing up. I played with my cousins, my friends. From a young age, I played on the local streets, just with my neighbours. The majority would be boys, but a couple would be girls, so I never really thought too hard about it.”
― Nikita Parris
“There weren’t any opportunities to be a professional women’s player until I was 16 and the WSL was formed.”
― Nikita Parris
“Let’s build women’s football from the bottom before we get to the top; it’s not about building from the top to get to the bottom. We can talk about the Etihad and Man United’s ground, the Theatre of Dreams, in a few years’ time. Let’s fill the Academy Stadiums, the Kingsmeadows, first of all.”
― Nikita Parris
“Our under-19s, under-20s, under-17s teams are all getting into Euro finals, World Cup finals, winning bronze medals. We’re winning bronze medals; it’s about that final step now. We’ve got to punish teams. In every game – youth games, senior games – just to push the game further.”
― Nikita Parris
“Me and fellow scouser Toni Duggan are a double act. We are always pre-planning some sort of practical joke.”
― Nikita Parris
“I use Palmers Coconut Oil for my skin. My hair routine is thorough: I hot-oil my hair every two Sundays after games, top it up with coconut oil every third day, and deep condition my hair every two days.”
― Nikita Parris
“I recently started my own NP17 Academy within Liverpool Community College, which gives 16-19-year-old girls an opportunity to embark on a sports career, whether it be as a coach, player, physio, or nutritionist.”
― Nikita Parris
“Completing my degree in Sports Development at Liverpool’s John Moores University while being full-time at Manchester City is one of my greatest achievements.”
― Nikita Parris
“I would say the best trick I’ve pulled was putting salt instead of sugar in Phil Neville’s tea.”
― Nikita Parris
“Scoring a goal for England is special. Scoring in a World Cup is even more special.”
― Nikita Parris
“Our keeper, Karen Bardsley, stakes out any penalty, any free-kick, any corner. KB knows the detail of how the person will take it.”
― Nikita Parris
“When I step up to that penalty spot, I know the consequences. They’re the same whether I miss the first, second, third – or the 10th – it will be the same.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’d go with our dad to watch our brothers play Sunday League. When I heard all the shouts, the reaction of the crowd, I wanted it to be about me.”
― Nikita Parris
“I was pretty wild as a kid. Football tamed me. It put me on the right path, got me focused.”
― Nikita Parris
“There was always sibling rivalry. Tennis, football, boxing, whatever – you always want to come out on top of big sis.”
― Nikita Parris
“You’ve got to be fit to box. In football, if you need a breather, your team-mate can take over. There’s no one in the ring to help out.”
― Nikita Parris
“You have to respect America for respecting the pioneers of the game. That’s important. We do that a lot in our game in England. What they’ve done for women’s football across the world is massive.”
― Nikita Parris
“The biggest thing I got from my sister’s career was never to give up. She had so many ups and downs throughout her career. Injuries and big injuries – ACLs. And she never gave up; she always came back fighting.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’m proud to say that my sister was the first female boxer in the Olympics. That’s history. She made her mark. And that’s what you want to do in any sport.”
― Nikita Parris
“Always stay in a happy medium in sport, because you never know what’s around the corner.”
― Nikita Parris
“When I came into football, my whole identity was to be one of the best players in the world, if not the best player, and for me, that is what is driving me each and every day.”
― Nikita Parris
“I really wanted to put myself out of my comfort zone, and that meant leaving England and really changing culture and different ideas and philosophies in a club environment.”
― Nikita Parris
“I think it’s clear to see that Lyon plan to continue to win the Champions League and be the best team in Europe.”
― Nikita Parris
“Nobody’s going to give you the World Cup; nobody’s going to give you an easy game – not Scotland, not Argentina, not Japan, and not whoever we get going forward.”
― Nikita Parris
“To me, it’s just another game of football – 11 players, a grass pitch. Regardless what shirt I have on, it’s important you win the game, and I’m competitive as anyone, and I want to win every game, whether it’s a Sunday league game, a five-a-side tournament, or a World Cup qualifier.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’ve never really spoken French. I didn’t do French lessons at school, so I’m starting from scratch.”
― Nikita Parris
“To be honest, I don’t feel pressure. I honestly don’t feel pressure.”
― Nikita Parris
“When Olympique Lyon come in for you, it’s not a team you turn down.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’m confident in myself. It’s not a case of I’ve missed a penalty, and I’m down.”
― Nikita Parris
“When you step up and take a penalty, it’s 50/50 – but you’ve got to back yourself.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’m in a position where I can have an effect on young people. If people can take inspiration from me, that’s great.”
― Nikita Parris
“Toxeth made me who I am today – it is a great area.”
― Nikita Parris
“I’ve always wanted to work with young people from disadvantaged areas.”
― Nikita Parris
“There are prime examples – me, Natasha Jonas, Tony Bellew, Toni Duggan – who have come from areas around Liverpool that haven’t been the wealthiest. But we’ve also been determined to get out and then to give back.”
― Nikita Parris
“I think about giving back every single day, about the people who put so much effort into supporting my mum and me.”
― Nikita Parris
“Opportunities for young girls, like young boys, to go into academies from a young age does happen now in England, but it doesn’t happen globally.”
― Nikita Parris
“Once I started playing as a striker, I’d say I looked up to Julie Fleeting and Thierry Henry.”
― Nikita Parris
“I would love to have been a tennis player simply because of Serena Williams.”
― Nikita Parris
“The pride you feel when you represent your country, not to mention scoring, is something you can’t really explain. It’s massive.”
― Nikita Parris
“I still play a bit of tennis, but only a knockabout to help with my recovery after a game.”
― Nikita Parris
“I grew up in an area of inner-city Liverpool. There were plenty of opportunities but also plenty of challenges – you could go down the right or wrong path, depending on one moment.”
― Nikita Parris
“As long as I can keep one child off the streets or change one child’s life for the better, then that’s enough for me.”
― Nikita Parris
“You’ve got to have dedication because there’s a lot of sacrifice which goes into it – a lot of your time is minimal with friends and family, especially in the past 10 years.”
― Nikita Parris
“Being the best is:applying yourself to your potential, putting out the best version of yourself.”
― Nikita Parris
“Football still gives me butterflies; it still makes me smile.”
― Nikita Parris
“From the age of seven, I knew I wanted to play football – I didn’t think about it in a professional sense in terms of making money from it; it was more about the social aspect of being with my friends and losing myself in the sport.”
― Nikita Parris
“We played out on the street every single day as a family, with neighbours, at the community centres, and I developed the desire to win very early. That environment instilled a competitive edge in me, which has paid dividends in my life.”
― Nikita Parris
Leave a Reply