“Sometimes I dream to be alone and that nobody would talk to me. But I understand that football is really important and that everybody watches it. When you're famous, you have to do photos or autographs, especially for the kids.”
“I don't like journalists and I hardly ever talk to them.”
“When I wasn't famous, I had a lot of friends, almost all of them Italian. The racism only started when I started to play football.”
“Yes, I think I am a genius, but not a rebel.”
“I know some players like being the centre of attention and I admit that when I first became a player I liked fame, too. But that feeling lasted only for three months. Then I realised what it was really like to be the centre of attention all the time. It isn't all good.”
“If I go out in the street and one guy gets a picture, then someone calls the press to say Mario was there. The day after in the press, it's, 'Mario was there'. That's normal, I just walk in town like a normal guy.”
“Is instinct in the head or in the heart? Off the field, I follow my good instincts which steer me in the right direction. Sometimes on the field my head leads me astray. That's what I believe.”
“Manchester City, the club and the fans, they were amazing. But I'm sorry, the city wasn't that nice. I was all the time at home, and I didn't enjoy it. It was raining all the time. I was a little bit upset.”
“America is a great country. I've been in the south, in the center and in the north. I like it. Americans are very good people. There's just too much air-conditioning.”
“Occasionally, you feel like the only person able to win the match. So you take all the responsibility, you do too much, and you do something bad.”