Top 100 Eniola Aluko Quotes December 19, 2020 by Krista Aniston Leave a Comment “Something about the WSL is that the margins for error are very small. In the Premier League you can get away with losing a couple of games, but the women’s league is so short and the leaders tend to set the bar so high that if you lose a couple of games your title hopes are over.”― Eniola Aluko“I’m absolutely loving Turin’s old, historical-city vibe, with the narrow, cobbled streets.”― Eniola Aluko“Don’t read, click links or subscribe to any media organisations that peddle sinister untruths and stereotypes.”― Eniola Aluko“With the big clubs embracing women’s football and the professionalism you see at the likes of Liverpool, Birmingham, Arsenal and my club Chelsea, it’s really impressive. We’re making great strides.”― Eniola Aluko“I am proud to say I got 102 caps. I tweeted on the day of my 100th that I was ‘grateful.’”― Eniola Aluko“Unfortunately for me, my England career has massively been soured. Even when I won my 100th cap, what people didn’t see was everything that happened before that – which was me in floods of tears – because of how I felt it was handled.”― Eniola Aluko“I’ve been at Chelsea five years and been the butt of many jokes. And I give it back sometimes. That is the beauty of team spirit in a healthy dressing room. I’m not a sensitive, precious person.”― Eniola Aluko“I’ve played for boys’ teams.”― Eniola Aluko“My favourite artist is Beyonce. I also like Jasmine Sullivan.”― Eniola Aluko“Just because someone doesn’t have a silver spoon in their mouth doesn’t mean they can’t be highly intelligent.”― Eniola Aluko“Eventually I will own my own company and will provide advice to athletes and artists from the entertainment industry.”― Eniola Aluko“I think obviously the men’s game has a greater emphasis on physique and strength and speed. The women’s game can be quite skilful and tactical by comparison.”― Eniola Aluko“To stay healthy, I like to eat healthy food. For example a lot of meat, pasta, vegetables and I also have to drink a lot of water and drinks with electrolytes in them.”― Eniola Aluko“When I score I go wild. Sometimes I put my arms out wide like the way Didier Drogba celebrates for Chelsea or sometimes I try to slide on the grass if the grass is wet enough.”― Eniola Aluko“My first experience playing for England was very scary and nerve wracking.”― Eniola Aluko“I would say the most memorable thing that has ever happened to me has to be when I got my First class honours Law degree at my University graduation. All my family from all over the world were there when I collected my degree. I will never forget that day.”― Eniola Aluko“I think having a back-up plan is never a bad thing. I would hate to be a male footballer and look back on 15 years of my career and think, ‘Oh well, I’ve got a lot a money but what now?’”― Eniola Aluko“It is a certain type of guy who’s OK with having a girlfriend who is better at football than him. It is actually problematic. Some guys really can’t cope with it.”― Eniola Aluko“You are going to fail in sport, you are going to win sometimes, you are going to be criticised sometimes, you are going to be applauded – so it gives you… well, it’s certainly given me anyway, those real-life lessons that make you bulletproof.”― Eniola Aluko“Look, the reality is that people will pay more for a match when Wayne Rooney is playing than when I am playing. I will never expect to be paid the same as Wayne Rooney, because I am not Wayne Rooney. And there’s no getting around that.”― Eniola Aluko“I was obsessed with the character Atticus Finch. I really liked the idea of having a voice for the voiceless, getting someone justice against the odds. That really resonated with me.”― Eniola Aluko“I’ve always been interested in law.”― Eniola Aluko“You don’t want an 18-year-old girl who’s very talented thinking: ‘I want to play for the first team but I’ve got to give up my education to do so.’ That has happened a lot in the past.”― Eniola Aluko“Standing up for what you believe in and being honest, telling the truth are all very liberating things.”― Eniola Aluko“Success is always the best answer to critics.”― Eniola Aluko“When you look at some of the greatest people and players in the world they all stand for something outside their working lives.”― Eniola Aluko“When black men become millionaires and can buy expensive homes for their families, it infuriates people who cherish the social construct where white people are at the top and people of other ethnic backgrounds are below.”― Eniola Aluko“No one should feel comfortable venting racist abuse, whether from the stands or through media outlets. Just as fans must call out any fans they see hurling abuse, journalists must call out colleagues who perpetuate divisive rhetoric. Name and shame them.”― Eniola Aluko“If a player has been affected by racist chanting, then it is up to the officials to stop the game and make sure a message is read out to the supporters asking them to stop.”― Eniola Aluko“Most clubs say they will not tolerate any forms of discrimination – that cannot be something that is just said. It needs to be acted on.”― Eniola Aluko“On the pitch if I could summarise 2018 in one word it would be progress.”― Eniola Aluko“It is not always about signing star forwards and midfielders.”― Eniola Aluko“Maurizio Sarri is one of those managers who can get the best out of players who aren’t necessarily world class which he proved at Napoli.”― Eniola Aluko“You cannot underestimate Zidane’s achievement of winning the Champions League three times in a row – it must have taken superb skills to motivate the likes of Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema et al to have the desire to become serial Champions League winners.”― Eniola Aluko“After you’re dating someone for a few weeks, you often don’t become exclusive until you give yourself more time to know what a relationship could be like in the future. You can’t get too excited too quickly.”― Eniola Aluko“Perhaps I am influenced by philosophies like the one at Chelsea which was ‘If it isn’t broken, change it’ which saw us win three league titles in five years playing three different formations and tactical strategies so that the opposition could never keep up with our evolution at the time.”― Eniola Aluko“I think public criticism of players can go one of two ways: either the players will want to raise a proverbial middle finger at their manager and prove them wrong, or the squad will go within themselves and performances will deteriorate.”― Eniola Aluko“Players are under enough pressure to perform from fans and the media without a manager complicating matters further in public.”― Eniola Aluko“Many managers bring players they have previously worked with into a new club – but that doesn’t always mean they will continue to enjoy success together.”― Eniola Aluko“If young players are capable of playing 90 minutes every week at European clubs why prevent them from doing that?”― Eniola Aluko“Sometimes clubs take their ownership of a young player for granted and do not necessarily do the best thing for their development.”― Eniola Aluko“There are many clever contractual ways to let a young player continue his career elsewhere while still having first option to bring them back in future. Contracts can include a buyback clause such as Barcelona had with Cesc Fabregas, or a sell-on clause where the development club benefit financially from all the work invested in the young player.”― Eniola Aluko“The fear for English players has always been that you might risk a place in the national team if you go abroad but now with all the technology we have, and social media, you are able to watch goals and assists every week, which means his performances are just as noticeable as anyone’s in the Premier League.”― Eniola Aluko“Sometimes it’s easier to chase a title than it is to lead.”― Eniola Aluko“I’ve experienced it with Chelsea Women: it can be very hard at the top for long periods of time, fighting just to stay in the same position and to preserve an unbeaten run that will always come to an end.”― Eniola Aluko“I struggle to understand why many in football get so upset about dual nationality.”― Eniola Aluko“It can be difficult for players who are perceived to have turned their backs on England, as Wilfried Zaha has found out after deciding to play for Ivory Coast.”― Eniola Aluko“There is still this perception in football about whether people are ‘English through and through.’ Essentially there is not any such thing without going into a whole discussion on genetics and bloodlines of each player.”― Eniola Aluko“I’ve learned things in Italy at the age of 31. Some of the passing drills are so complicated you need a high level of concentration and if you mess up the rhythm, believe me you are told!”― Eniola Aluko“Italian sides will find it hard to attract the world’s top players while there is a salary cap.”― Eniola Aluko“Champions league progression takes years.”― Eniola Aluko“When I considered PSG before I signed for Juventus one thing that put me off was wondering what the point is of coming second every year.”― Eniola Aluko“As a forward it is always a bit easier to avoid the kind of challenges that can cause impact injuries.”― Eniola Aluko“We can be tackled but referees are there to police dangerous challenges. Forwards are protected by the laws of the game and the way it’s played, while defenders and midfielders have to throw themselves about a bit more.”― Eniola Aluko“Football is full of different characters but there are perhaps none who have a split personality quite like Jose Mourinho, as I can testify from personal experience.”― Eniola Aluko“Thinking back to how it fell apart for Mourinho at Chelsea, I do have some sympathy for him. At most clubs it is the manager who determines the long-term stability of the players but at Chelsea it seems very much the other way round.”― Eniola Aluko“The big players historically hold a lot of influence at Chelsea and while I would never doubt their attempts to win matches for the club, their levels undoubtedly change depending on how they feel about a manager at the time. They’re either having him or they’re not, and once they’re not it spells borrowed time for the guy in charge.”― Eniola Aluko“It’s great being part of Juventus. As expected, there’s a real family feel to the club, alongside a big desire to win as often as possible.”― Eniola Aluko“Champions League football is one of the primary reasons I joined Juventus so I am determined to help the team succeed in the competition.”― Eniola Aluko“Rita Guarino is one of the best technical coaches I have had in my career – often she demonstrates a specific technique and shows the players up!”― Eniola Aluko“From a young age in England I felt technical skills were coached out of me. I remember when I was 15 doing a rainbow flick over a player’s head in training and the coach telling me off and shouting: ‘This is not the Eni show.’ That discouraged me from expressing myself individually with the ball in that team again.”― Eniola Aluko“Off the pitch I’ve always believed it is healthy to switch off from football and have completely different interests too.”― Eniola Aluko“As a quick, tricky player, I’ve been told that I don’t go down enough because I’ve always tried to stay on my feet or I don’t win clever fouls around the box. But when you are quick, the fastest way to be stopped is by being fouled so it happens to me a lot, even if I don’t always maximise the opportunity.”― Eniola Aluko“Marta is one of my favourite players, and one of the best players I’ve had the privilege of coming up against, so I say this with the greatest respect: there are other players who were in a much stronger position to be named the best female player of 2018.”― Eniola Aluko“If, say, a striker knows that scoring 30 goals in a season will lead to them winning a prestigious award then they will try that little bit harder because, regardless of what players may say, individual recognition on the world stage is important.”― Eniola Aluko“In a world overloaded with information and content, there is simply no excuse for fans to be ill-informed about women’s football.”― Eniola Aluko“When I was a young girl I had to deal with people calling me weird and strange because I spent so much time around boys playing football.”― Eniola Aluko“I think the quicker we tell young girls who dream of playing professionally that they should believe in themselves, the more prepared they will be for the world of pro sport.”― Eniola Aluko“I had to deal with casual sexism while working as a pundit for ITV during the World Cup in Russia.”― Eniola Aluko“I feel that sometimes managers think that, if they can come up with a tactic that leads to success in a major game, they can get all the plaudits.”― Eniola Aluko“The problem with tactical novelties that might lead to a manager being hailed as a hero is that if they do not come off they are the villain.”― Eniola Aluko“This is something that baffles me about managers: if you know the formation that you will revert to if you are in trouble, why not start with it?”― Eniola Aluko“There is a risk women’s football becomes the most popular spectator sport that fans tune into every four years but are not interested in parting with their money to watch the same players on their doorstep.”― Eniola Aluko“It is dangerous to sit on your laurels, but a lot of the time you only have to add one or two people to the fringes of a winning team to improve it.”― Eniola Aluko“A big player coming in can change the dynamics of the dressing room, upset the rhythm of the team and end up doing more harm than good.”― Eniola Aluko“Sometimes keeping a squad together can improve spirit and with it performances.”― Eniola Aluko“It’s important for a player to leave on the right note. Even if you’re not happy to be going, or your relationships at your old club have turned sour, it is always best to be respectful. Thank the club and its fans for their support and the opportunity they gave you and leave with head held high.”― Eniola Aluko“I really liked English literature, a subject I did really well at.”― Eniola Aluko“My father was a politician. My grandfather was a politician too, maybe it’s an innate idea of representing people that we have in our family. I won’t go into politics. I think I can provide the voice for the voiceless through law.”― Eniola Aluko“I take the sporting genes from my dad.”― Eniola Aluko“My mum’s an amazing woman, a huge part of my life. She’s very entrepreneurial, owns a very successful business. I take a lot of inspiration from that. That has as much impact on my sport as being athletic does.”― Eniola Aluko“All over the world people know Juventus as a club affiliated with legends and success and the project with the women’s side is very ambitious.”― Eniola Aluko“Juventus offered me the opportunity to sign in 2017 and I turned it down. I just didn’t feel the timing was right.”― Eniola Aluko“There are a lot of football clubs that are fantastic football clubs but how they treat footballers is another story.”― Eniola Aluko“You’ve got to find a sweet spot where you skill meets your passion, meets your job.”― Eniola Aluko“If you’re at uni just because your parents have said so… There’s a lot of success stories of people who have dropped out.”― Eniola Aluko“I really enjoyed my degree. But there’s so many people I went to uni with that didn’t.”― Eniola Aluko“You can always go to uni later on in life. There’s no set way. If you are at uni, work hard. Strive for your best.”― Eniola Aluko“When you make a young player feel young, it doesn’t necessarily help them – they often want to be treated like everyone else. If you respect their talent, then that can give them the confidence to express themselves.”― Eniola Aluko“Coaches can sometimes mollycoddle players too much – if they are good enough, then they are old enough.”― Eniola Aluko“I always try to talk to my younger teammates in the same way I would do with my older ones and you can see in their eyes how much showing them some respect means.”― Eniola Aluko“If a young player feels comfortable in a team then they will flourish and be who they want to be. It’s less about patronising them and more about trusting them.”― Eniola Aluko“People have been very quick to judge young black players on their lifestyles and then when they go on to win the World Cup, to take league titles or score goals they’re all of a sudden changed men. They haven’t changed, people are just choosing to see them in a different way.”― Eniola Aluko“Perception is a big thing in football and people need to be more careful about how they choose to perceive young players in the first instance.”― Eniola Aluko“If you drop a player when his form dips, sometimes it never quite comes back.”― Eniola Aluko“For all his tactical genius Guardiola is also a manager who can be patient and loyal, who backs players to come out of bad patches and hit golden patches.”― Eniola Aluko“Being able to put the ball in the back of the net is so important at the highest level and could be the difference between reaching the semi-finals and actually winning the World Cup.”― Eniola Aluko“As I can testify, living in a foreign country takes you way out of your comfort zone. It’s the little things, like ordering food in a different language, buying petrol or learning to drive on the other side of the road, but they all add up to making you a more rounded, educated person.”― Eniola Aluko“An opportunity to play for your country is never senseless and especially when the games are competitive.”― Eniola Aluko“As a forward, when you have not scored for a while the desire to score gets stronger and stronger and ultimately that can work against you because you are trying too hard to do what comes naturally.”― Eniola Aluko
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