Top 14 Rachel Yankey Quotes

We all have fears. And it takes a lot to be brave, be confident, and talk about it. And you never know what it may lead to.

To be honest, everybody thought that I was a boy.

Confidence is key for any footballer.

I hope people will look at women’s football as the norm.

When you let children lead, you see their minds work in a way that’s different to ours because we’re moulded to think a certain way as we get older.

I don’t think we give kids enough respect for what they understand.

There are many things you can get out of football that you can take into the world of work.

I’ve been trying to encourage both boys and girls to get involved in football. There are so many life skills you can learn from football… I want kids to understand the game is for everybody.

I think every female footballer can relate to a woman working in a male-dominated area and championing it. We need to make sure that we support each other.

For players of my generation – and before – there wasn’t money in the game. You were doing it because of your passion.

It's looking positive, but it's probably a similar thing with both the men and women's team, they need to have a stronger mentality of knowing they have to win.

How that will inspire so many young girls and boys to talk about women's football and make it the norm.

Expectations and perceptions have changed around women's football, but they will know that they'll have to play their part in increasing the popularity of the game.

You have to stand there against people who are probably not supporting women's football and tell them you need more money. That, in itself, takes a lot of guts. At that point, it wasn't easy to win people over.