Top quotes: Who said what in sport in 2022

Best quotes from a year in sport that included a World Cup, a Winter Olympics, iconic retirements, emerging stars and controversies and disputes.

"What more could there be after this?" - Lionel Messi after winning the World Cup.

"What is the point of depriving the fans of the big matches? Nadal and Federer met 40 times. Nadal and Djokovic, 59, is it boring? Liverpool and Real Madrid have faced nine times in 67 years." - Real Madrid president Florentino Perez tells club members he still wants a Super League.

"If you take away the result, I'm one happy man. To go through what I've been through, being back is a wonderful feeling." - Christian Eriksen after his comeback for Brentford in a draw with Manchester United, eight months after a cardiac arrest playing for Denmark.

"It feels so good to be home!" - Brittney Griner after her return to the USA following 10 months in Russian prisons

"This is crazy. I didn't know that I was world champion, there was a lot of confusion, but I thought it was quite funny." - Max Verstappen retains his F1 drivers title after rain-hit Japan GP ends early.

"I did definitely feel support and love from the crowd, so I'm very grateful for that." - Novak Djokovic on winning over Centre Court on his way to a seventh Wimbledon title.

"If anyone says I am better than Roger, then he doesn't know anything about tennis." - Rafael Nadal On the debate about who is the greatest of the men's tennis "Big Three"

"We win the Wimbledon tournament." - Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev after Moscow-born Elena Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, won the women's title at a tournament where Russian and Belarusian players were banned.

"I have been pretty vague about it, right? I'm going to stay vague because you never know." - Serena Williams in her first round press conference after beating Danka Kovinic when asked if the US Open was her last tournament.

"After a big classic, a grand tour, and a world championship, I think I won everything I could have won this year...It will be a big party, I'm not going to see my bed I guess." - Belgian cyclist Remco Evenepoel after adding the world road race in title in Australia to his 2022 Vuelta and Liege-Bastogne Liege titles.

"These are tears of happiness, but also it seems sadness...I'm of course happy to be at the Olympics and to try and represent my country. I hope I will do my best." - Russian skating prodigy Kamila Valieva after being cleared to compete in the Beijing Olympics despite a failed dope test.

"Why did you let it go? Why did you let it go? Tell me." - Coach Eteri Tutberidze (centre, above) berated Valieva after the Russian teenager fell multiple times in the figure skating final.

"I think she was at least two minutes without breathing because her lungs were full of water." - Coach Anita Fuentes (left) after diving into rescue unconscious Anita Alvarez during the artistic swimming at the World Championships in Budapest.