Mia Hamm Quotes

Somewhere behind the athlete you've become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back... play for her.

My coach said I ran like a girl, I said if he could run a little faster he could too

Celebrate what you've accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.

I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.

A winner is that person who gets up one more time than she is knocked down.

Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it.

I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.

The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking.

I've worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.

The backbone of success is...hard work, determination, good planning, and perserverence.

I'm a part of a team, and I'm no better or any worse than any single player on this team. That's the approach I've always had and will continue to have. It's not about me. It has never been all about me. If it had, this would have been a really lonely journey.

You can't just beat a team, you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again.

Good players create opportunities. The great players and the great people seize them

Being a good teammate is when you try to sprint down a ball that everyone thinks is going out of bounds. But you go after it anyways and you get it.

True champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts.

Focus on what you know you can do. Know what you're capable of on any given day, and what you can count on. Do the simple things well, and then use the confidence to build up the rest of your game. Learn to differentiate between what is truly important and what can be dealt with at another time.

Every single day I wake up and commit myself to becoming a better player. Some days it happens, and some days it doesn't. Sure, there are games I'm going to dominate and there are going to be games when I struggle. But it doesn't mean I give up.

Goals have never defined me as a player. What has defined me is my impact on the team. If that means passing or playing defense to win, I'll do it.

The most important attribute a player must have is mental toughness.

Sports can do so much. They've given me a framework: meeting new people, confidence, self-esteem, discipline, motivation. All these things I learned, whether I knew I was learning them or not, through sports.

After each game, I want to be able to say: I gave it all I could, I gave it my best.

No-one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning and perseverance.

I played basketball and soccer my freshman year in high school.

I could just have chips and salsa for dinner every day.

When players go out and train on their own, they usually do it at half speed. This kind of training is valuable, but it doesn't prepare you for competition, where you must perform at full throttle. So the trick is to schedule regular sessions of intense practice, while always leaving time to juggle and generally goof around with the ball

It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there.

There are always new, grander challenges to confront, and a true winner will embrace each one.

The team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.

I learned a long time ago that there is something worse than missing the goal, and that's not pulling the trigger.

Chicken, brown rice, and veggies is a great healthy dinner option. It's full of whole grains and protein, and will keep you full for a long time.

Many people say I'm the best women's soccer player in the world. I don't think so. And because of that, someday I just might be.

Learn to differentiate between what is truly important and what can be dealt with at another time.

The person that said winning isn't everything, never won anything.

English muffins with avocado is one of my favorite breakfasts.

Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them.

If you don't love what you do, you won't do it with much conviction or passion.

I know I wouldn't be here, and all of us wouldn't be here, without certain sacrifices and certain stands that people have made -- not just women, but men stepping up and supporting what we do and how we do it.

We play because we love the game, we love each other, and we love to win.

You may get skinned knees and elbows, but it's worth it if you score a spectacular goal.

Sports can do so much. It's given me confidence, self-esteem, discipline, and motivation.

It isn't sacrifice if you love what you're doing.

I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.

Sports are not about awards or world championships, though those are great. They're about the relationships we have with each other.

Every single day I wake up and commit to myself to becoming a better player.

I was given a tremendous gift in terms of athleticism. Maybe it was because I wasn't so confident in other areas.

Soccer isn't very social. Plus, if you don't like someone on the other team, you can do something about it.

If a team intimidate you physically and you let them, they've won.

Follow your heart and make it your decision.

I play for the intense challenges that the game on the highest levels present. The whole team enjoys playng exciting soccer for the fans and my part in that makes me feel good about myself. The whole concept of teamwork is what keeps us all going. It's my role to create scoring chances, and to come through for my teammates is extremely satisfying.

I don't like to play rough, but I will if I have to.