WF Quotes of the Week: Berbatov Eyeing Hollywood, Pele Speaks on Neymar Diving

Neymar may be held as something of a national icon in Brazil, but it's been proven even the boy from Santos isn't impervious to criticism after Pele pulled Barcelona's starlet up for his simulation antics this week.

We also witnessed Eden Hazard revealing what could be the most critical factor in any future move he might make to Paris Saint-Germain, as well as learning precisely what glitzy profession Dimitar Berbatov is hoping for after football.

Rafa Benitez also might be leagues away from the Premier League now that he's at the helm of Napoli, but that hasn't stopped the Spaniard speaking his mind on Jose Mourinho.

All that and more is explained in the world football quotes of the week.

Pep Guardiola: 'Look at Me When I Talk to You!'

The Guardian's Jamie Jackson found himself on the wrong side of Pep Guardiola this week, following Bayern Munich's 1-1 draw against Manchester United in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

In the midst of answering a question put to him by the journalist, Der FCB's helmsman was clearly offended after Jackson's attention was diverted elsewhere, as the attached video shows.

Jackson reported on his own encounter with the Spaniard, detailing just what occurred in a fairly heated post-match press conference.

Dimitar Berbatov: 'I Think I Would Be Good at Movies'

Lionel Cironneau

As he enters the twilight years of his playing career, Dimitar Berbatov is beginning to plan for life after football and is quoted as being favourable toward the possibility of acting.

Just as fellow former Manchester United striker Eric Cantona once did, Berbatov is reported by Metro as saying the path to Hollywood is one that interests him:

"

You know, I’ve played the way I play all my life, I try to do different things, beautiful things, to play the game the way I see it and I think I’m doing it pretty well. To have a comparison with Eric Cantona is not fair because he was a great player for Manchester United – the goals he scored, the way he put his collar – he was really cool.

And then he goes to movies and I am a big fan of movies as well, so when I finish with football I will definitely try to be part of some movie, I will definitely do that, I think I would be good at movies.

"

Berbatov has had both good days and bad playing in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1, but there are undoubtedly a raft of adoring fans who would love to see the Bulgarian featuring in feature films.

That being said, there's likely to be an equal amount who aren't quite as excited at the prospect.

Jerome Valcke: 'We Want an African Team to Soon Reach the FIFA World Cup Final'

Andre Penner

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has opened up about his desire to see an African team triumph in football's biggest competition, saying that the world association will help the continent improve.

FIFA.com quoted the Frenchman as being sympathetic to the fact that Africa is yet to produce a World Cup winner, saying:

"

All the programmes we will discuss at this seminar, we can guarantee them to you until 2022, and this is both powerful and remarkable. We will make sure that you can improve and develop, that you can professionalise your leagues, that you can develop grassroots football for everyone who wants to play football in Africa. We will help you get better, and we want an African team to soon reach the FIFA World Cup Final.

"

The comments were made during Valcke's trip to a three-day convention in Johannesburg, where Africa's ongoing improvement as a global competitor in the sport was one of the main topics at hand.

Danny Murphy on Fernando Torres: 'He Will Never Be Back to That Player He Was'

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Former Liverpool favourite Danny Murphy claims that the out-of-form Fernando Torres has seen his best days, and that any chance of the Spanish striker reviving his old Anfield standards are hopeless.

Speaking on talkSPORT's Colin Murray Show earlier this week, Murphy also added that, while he may have been prolific during his time at Merseyside, many within the Reds' squad were aware of just how limited Torres' skill set was:

"

He will never be back to that player he was at Anfield. He’s as good [now] as he’s ever going to be [again]. He’s never going to get back to that one or two year period he had at Liverpool. When he did his knee, I’m not sure how bad it was, but it was quite a long one, when he came back he was a shadow, physically, of his former self.

I remember when he was doing well at Liverpool taking to a couple of the lads there and they were a bit negative about his technical ability and what he didn’t have, rather than what he did have, which was pace and power. But the rest of his game has never been perfect, far from it, in fact.

There was a spell at Liverpool when he was unplayable because of his power and his pace, but once he lost that and his confidence went he became reliant on his technical ability, which he’s not very good at – his hold up play, his passing, his decision making, which is terrible.

"

Murphy left Liverpool in 2004, meaning that he never actually got to partner up in the same line-up as Torres himself, but one would think that the former Reds' staple has his share of inside knowledge at the club.

Having previously impressed at Atletico Madrid, there's no doubting that the forward's form has declined bit by bit since his move to Stamford Bridge, and it may be that this summer is the juncture at which he and Chelsea part ways.

Eden Hazard Reveals Wife May Have Final Say on PSG Move

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

For some months now, Eden Hazard has been touted as a potential summer target for Paris Saint-Germain, aiming to seal a Ligue 1 return for the former Lille superstar.

And though the Blues won't be keen on relinquishing their creative asset, Hazard has told Canal+ (h/t The Mirror's Alex Richards) that he may not be the one in complete control of his destiny:

"If my wife tells me 'I want to go to PSG,' I’d have to take that into account."

It's word that will come as a shock to those at Stamford Bridge, who have relied so much on the Belgian's talents in recent months, with Jose Mourinho's side still in the hunt for this season's Premier League title.

Pele on Neymar: 'He Tries to Create Fouls and Situations That Are Not There'

Mark Lennihan

It's an incredibly touchy subject in football, especially when concerned with one of the most promising talents that the sport has to offer, but Pele has admitted that his countryman Neymar has a diving habit.

Speaking to ESPN FC, the Brazil legend did go on to note that the trend had been curbed since Neymar's move to Barcelona, but that it was still present in his game:

"

Yes, yes, he had this problem in Santos also. I think he tries to create fouls and situations that are not there. But now he got much better because in Europe, things are different. 

The good thing with Neymar is that Barcelona moved to sign him six months ago. This experience is fantastic for him. In Europe, football is more tough, more difficult. For him to grow for the national team of Brazil is fantastic.

"

It's a surprising twist for Pele, ever on hand to praise the talents of his compatriot usually, speaking so candidly about what is admittedly one of his less admirable traits.

With any luck, the words will reverberate round to the person about whom they were made, making for the more complete Neymar that just about every football fan is hoping he will become.

Rafa Benitez: 'Mourinho Talks About a Lot of People, but I Prefer to Talk Facts'

Clive Mason/Getty Images

Clearly being separated by divisions isn't enough to keep Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho away from one another, with the respective managers of Napoli and Chelsea heating up their relationship once more this week.

Both bosses have won the Champions League in their careers—Benitez with Liverpool in 2005, while Mourinho has two of the European trophies, triumphing with Porto in 2004 and Chelsea in 2012.

Regardless, the Azzurri boss holds little respect for his counterpart's record on the continent, according to Martin Lipton of The Mirror:

"

Mourinho talks a lot about a lot of people, but I prefer to talk about facts. At Liverpool, with a squad half of the value of Chelsea, we twice knocked his Chelsea side out of the Champions League.

Later, with the most expensive squad at Real Madrid, he did nothing in the Champions League. Now he says if there is an offer of hundreds of millions for Hazard and Oscar, maybe he can build a strong squad to win something.

"

There are no immediate signs of their two teams—the Blues of Italy and England—clashing in the very near future, but Benitez is certainly helping to set the stage for what could be a rousing reunion.

Roberto Martinez Says Leighton Baines Can Convert into a 'Philipp Lahm'

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Seeing Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm shift from full-back into a more holding midfield role this season has been an intriguing watch, as Pep Guardiola looks to stamp his mark at the Allianz Arena.

And it's another fine Spanish tactician, Roberto Martinez, who feels that his resident star full-back Leighton Baines is capable of performing a similar transition in future.

The Everton boss brought Baines along to this week's Champions League encounter between Manchester United and Der FCB at Old Trafford, with The Guardian's Andy Hunter quoting Martinez on precisely why that was:

"

I've always thought Leighton can develop into Philipp Lahm's role, it is in his make-up. Not this season but in seasons to come he is someone who can play in that central role. I wanted him to watch Philipp Lahm in a live game because when it's on TV you only see the player when he's on the ball. It was good for Leighton to watch a player I feel he can be as good as or even better.

Like Lahm, Leighton doesn't give the ball away, he's got a very low centre of gravity and technically he is as good as it gets. When you have that control of the ball and have been such a good defender, and as a left-back you have to be very good on one-v-one situations, it is very important to have that defensive mindset in those midfield areas.

That is important for defensive balance. As a player Leighton has been through so many different experiences and has always found a way to rise to new challenges in his career. I am convinced he can step up to a new challenge. You need to look at the physicality and he is a naturally fit boy so can easily go into the role. He can be more expansive in central midfield than in his left back role. That's why I wanted him to see it first hand.

"

Having performed strategic strokes of genius at Swansea City and Wigan Athletic in the past, Martinez's decision on matters such as this is one worth trusting.

However, we'll just have to wait and see to what effect Baines will ultimately go on and fulfill that midfield potential, if it ever comes to fruition.