Vicente del Bosque Quotes & Sayings

“A leader is admired, a boss is feared.”

“I realised that the political context had got worse since the 2010 World Cup. I tried to ignore it but I wanted, as a national coach - you may call this Utopia - to make Catalans and Basques feel good about supporting a Spanish side... to unite even the most sectarian and nationalist.”

“Leadership must be likeable, affable, cordial, and above all emotional. The fashion of authoritarian leadership is gone. Football is about life. You can't be angry all day.”

“I didn't really want to be the coach who wins but the coach who educates.”

“Football has an important role to play in society. Players should have a sense of social responsibility, have a moral dimension to them which shows up in good conduct.”

“We are in a world that is quite extremist and extremism makes more noise. Normality does not sell.”

“No one knows anything about economics. It's the great lie of the economists. By contrast in football people might have contrasting opinions, each of which has some validity. But the economists always speak in conditionals - what a mess.”

“The certainty that our football, the football of Spain, is recognised, that's very important to us - perhaps more important than the successes and the joy that you can create. Football hasn't always been appreciated, and luckily our football is appreciated now, at all levels of society.”

“I just wanted to defend football, which is not always easy to do. Those of us who have been in the sport so many years now realise we must protect it and look after it. I was speaking about football, what it means. It is our profession, it has been our lives, and we must take care of it a little.”

“We must look after football and to do what it is necessary to bring to the game the best ethical values and personal behaviour.”