By Steve Amoia
Contributing Writer

This week after the Christmas break, we have quotes from Adriano, Jose' Mourinho, Rino Gattuso, Javier Pastore and Silvio Berlusconi.

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Please add others that you may have seen to share with our audience. All my best wishes for a prosperous 2011.

Adriano of AS Roma on his extra five days of holiday in Rio due to passport problems quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport:


AP Photo.

Italy's AS Roma's soccer player Adriano, of Brazil, holds his daughter Sophia during the inauguration of community center Imperadores da Vila in the Vila Cruzeiro slum, his boyhood home, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday Dec. 22, 2010. The center, funded by Adriano, is located in one of the shanty towns raided by Brazilian police after five days of drug gang violence in November.

"Io ho un contratto con la Roma fino 2013 e voglio rispettarlo, l'ho promesso. Non so cosa abbia inventato questo sito: se volevo stare in Brasile, staccavo il telefono e dicevo al mio procuratore che volevo stare lì... Lo devo chiedere scusa al mister e alla squadra per il ritardo, ma sono felice di stare alla Roma. Il problema con il passaporto? Io non ho votato, per cui non potevo prendere il passaporto subito, mi hanno bloccato e per questo sono arrivato in ritardo".

"I have a contract with Roma until 2013 and would like to respect it. I promised. I don't what this website has invented (on rumors that he wanted to leave Roma.) If I wanted to remain in Brazil, I would have picked up the phone and told my agent that I wanted to stay there...

I must apologize to Mr. Ranieri and the team for the delay (in his arrival). But I'm happy to be in Rome. The problem with my passport? I didn't vote, as such I wasn't able to renew the passport right away. They detained me and for this reason, I arrived late."

Jose' Mourinho was "shocked" when he first came to Italy according to La Gazzetta dello Sport:


Reuters Pictures.

Real Madrid's coach Jose Mourinho waits before the Getafe-Real Madrid soccer match at Colisseum Alfonso Perez stadium in Madrid January 3, 2011.

"Comunque lo shock culturale di cui parlo è stato molto difficile da gestire. Secondo loro, puoi lavorare solo come loro, altrimenti non hai il diritto di farlo. E devi assolutamente parlare come loro. Se non giochi come loro è perché non sai giocare.

"Anyway, the cultural shock of which I speak was very difficult to manage. According to them (Italians), you must work like they do, even if you don't have the right to do it. And you absolutely must speak as they do. If you don't play like them it's because you don't know how to play football."

This quote reminds me of something that Gennaro "Rino" Gattuso said about the Special One:


Getty Image.

AC Milan's Brasilian forward Ronaldinho trains with controversial Italian forward Antonio Cassano (L back) and Gennaro Gattuso at the grounds of Al-Ahli Stadium in Dubai on December 28, 2010 during the annual winter training camp of AC Milan in the Gulf emirate which will culminate in the Emirates Challenge Cup match against Al-Ahli club on January 2.

"He speaks better Italian than I do, and I was born here."

One of the young rising talents of the Serie A, Javier Pastore of Palermo, on why he turned down dream moves to Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Gazzetta dello Sport:


Getty Images.

NAPLES, ITALY - DECEMBER 06: Javier Pastore (R) of Palermo in action as Ezequiel Lavezzi of Napoli (L) touches the ball during the Serie A match between Napoli and Palermo at Stadio San Paolo on December 6, 2010 in Naples, Italy.

"Le offerte sono state concrete, hanno contattato sia il club che il mio agente ma io ho scelto di rimanere al Palermo perché so che qui giocherò sempre. Sto imparando moltissimo e non voglio che questo periodo di apprendistato venga accorciato. Quando sarò sicuro che una firma con un club così importante mi farà giocare con continuità, allora andrò via".

**** Quote of the Week ****

"The offers were concrete. They (Barcelona and Real Madrid) contacted both the club and my agent. But I chose to remain at Palermo because I know that here I will always play. I'm learning a great deal and don't want this apprenticeship period to be cut short. When I'm certain that signing with such an important club will mean I'll play with continuity, at that time, I'll leave."


Diego Milito, usually a man of few words, of Internazionale praised his new boss, Leonardo, in quotes made to La Gazzetta dello Sport:


Getty Images.

Inter Milan's Argentine forward Diego Milito (L) and defender Javier Zanetti celebrate with the trophy after winning the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup at Zayed Sports City in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi on December 18, 2010. Inter won 3-0 over TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"è una grandissima persona che ha dato un messaggio molto chiaro. La squadra lo seguirà e spero possa aiutarci a raggiungere traguardi importanti. tutti abbiamo le stesse possibilità, lui farà le scelte. Noi stiamo bene, siamo contenti e ci stiamo allenando molto bene. Speriamo di vincere già da giovedì contro il Napoli perchè stiamo benissimo, ci stiamo allenando molto bene e siamo contenti".

"Leonardo is a great person that has given a very clear message. The team will follow him and I hope that he can help us to reach important objectives. All of us have the same chance. He will make his choices. We are doing well and are happy and we are training very well. We hope to win beginning on Thursday against Napoli because we're doing great, are training well and are very happy."

Milan patron, Silvio Berlusconi, gave a warm welcome to Antonio Cassano had mixed parting words for Ronaldinho, and declared Milan as "Italy's team" in quotes with La Gazzetta dello Sport:


Reuters Pictures.

(L-R) Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, AC Milan's Vice President Adriano Galliani, newly signed AC Milan player Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his agent Mino Raiola smile as they watch the Italian Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and Lecce at the San Siro stadium in Milan August 29, 2010.

"Sono molto contento di averti qui: sei il più grande talento italiano... Dispiace sia andato via, è il più grande giocatore al mondo per quanto riguarda la rapidità di pensiero ed esecuzione. Ma è stata sua la scelta di tornare in Brasile".

"Il Milan che vince fa bene all'Italia. I giocatori del Milan hanno la responsabilità di vincere: in primis perchè così sono contenti, poi perchè fanno contenti il Milan, i tifosi, il presidente e anche i parlamentari: quando il Milan vince in Parlamento si vedono sorrisi, quindi il Milan che vince fa bene al Paese".

"I'm very pleased to have you (Cassano) here. You are the greatest Italian talent...

"I'm sorry that he (Ronaldinho) left. He's the greatest player in the world in terms of speed of thought and execution. But it was his decision to return to Brazil."

"A winning Milan is good for Italy. The Milan players have a responsibility to win. Above all because doing so, they are happy. Then because it makes the city, the fans, the President and also the Parliament members happy. When Milan wins, you see smiles in Parliament. Therefore, a winning Milan is good for the country."

Steve Amoia is a freelance writer, editor and translator from Washington, D.C. He is the founder of World Football Commentaries. He has written for AC Cugini Scuola Calcio (Italian soccer school), Football Media, Italian Soccer Serie A, Keeper Skool and Soccerlens.

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