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Oil The best of what they said at Euro 2008 ...
July 01, 2008 Edition 2
VIENNA: "The team is ready to die on the field if they have to.", Spain coach Luis Aragones, who also said a few other things:
"If Gattuso is a great player, then I'm a priest.", The controversial Aragones, nicknamed the Wise Man of Hortaleza, comes over all religious about injured Italian Gennaro Gattuso, not, for him, a patch on fellow Italy star Andrea Pirlo.
"It's as important what I say as the way they understand it.", At least Senor Aragones made no mention of Thierry Henry, just in case it could be misunderstood. Or not.
"I want lots of goals, a draw, extra time and then Germany to win on penalties, of course!", German eminence grise "Kaiser" Franz Beckenbauer tries to put Die Mannschaft on the spot.
"We have broken the hoodoo.", Spanish King Juan Carlos after Spain ended their quarter-final mental block against Italy
"All those who love football want to see it played that way.", Aragones doesn't always have to be controversial.
"We are aware that our overall capacity and skills have certainly not reached the level that we expected.", Italy Football Federation (FIGC) president Giancarlo Abete, failing to back coach Roberto Donadoni after his team's quarter-final defeat on penalties against Spain.
"He told me he has a problem with his best friend and asked me for help with his best friend.", Germany striker Miroslav Klose gets a curious text message from Bayern Munich teammate and misfiring Italy striker Luca Toni, who clearly fell out of love with his shooting boots.
"We are fully aware we haven't always played to the best of our abilities.", German coach Joachim Loew, in the knowledge that this matters little, provided you play for Germany.
"Coach Frings would play Player Frings in the starting line-up.", German midfielder and rib-fracture victim Torsten Frings makes an unsubtle plea to start the final.
"I have a simple message hanging on my wall: Nothing is impossible, but miracles take time.", Turkey coach Fatih Terim's men pulled off the seemingly impossible against the Czechs and the Croatians - but even Lazarus couldn't have come back after Germany's third goal in the semis.
"I want to be the traitor of the year in the Netherlands, because if I am the traitor of the year back home, it will have meant we won the game.", Game over for the Netherlands meant traitor status for Russia's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink.
"I have only one plan at the moment, it is to marry Estelle, and it is only this evening that I ask for her hand in marriage." - Lovestruck French coach Raymond Domenech has stars in his eyes as he proposes to girlfriend Estelle Denis moments after Les Bleus make an ignominous exit following defeat by Italy.
"Yes, that is one of the reasons." - Luiz Felipe Scolari says the money Chelsea dangled in his direction was one reason he decided to quit Portugal for Stamford Bridge.
"We've been talking about music," - Spain striker Fernando Torres plays down any talk of dissent in the camp after coach Aragones suggests defender Sergio Ramos requires a little more "order".
"Italy's Luca Toni made Emile Heskey look like Geoff Hurst." - Britain's Sunday Times notes even the much-maligned Heskey scored once in a while - maybe England would have reached the finals had the veteran been fit for more of the qualifiers. - Sapa-AFP
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