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“It was not merely on the pitch that Evra made his mark for the Bianconeri, but undoubtedly in the dressing room too, his bubbly, larger than life personality rubbing off positively on his peers, whilst he also showed genuine leadership qualities and a more serious side when the time was right.
“With Uncle Pat around, as he is affectionately known, there’s been no lack of light-hearted humour, his jokes and authentic imitations of team-mates in the J|Challenge bringing smiles to the faces of supporters and everyone associated with the club.
“Evra would be the first to admit, however, that comedy should never come at the cost of victory. Indeed, our number 33 departs Juventus with his status as natural-born winner even further enhanced.
– Juventus football club paid tribute to Patrice Evra for his time in Turin.
“I’ve always been blessed with a good memory but Patrice Evra? There’s a man with a brain. “He could speak five languages and was a great help in the dressing room. Lovely guy. His father was a diplomat, it showed.
“He is a guy who is always smiling. He works hard. He is phenomenal.”
– Mathieu Debuchy
“Pat is one of the finest men and leaders around the dressing room that I have ever seen,” Moyes said of Evra. He speaks well about everything he does, speaks great about the club. He reminds all the boys what their jobs and their duties are. He has been very good. He is inspirational behind the scenes. He is great for me and he has been great for the team because he has been a really top player for a long time now
– David Moyes
“Great quotes from Patrice Evra about how he felt playing for man utd – he was fighter and a leader and a top left back. Played every game, every season and never missed a training session – a proper player!”
– Phil Neville
“He knows the football club inside out. He’s a good lad to have in the dressing room, a good leader and a bubbly character.
“Patrice played in Italy last season so I had the possibility of more contact with him. I played against him twice in the derbies, and in Italy he is proving to be a champion just like he was at United.”
– Matteo Darmian said he admires Patrice Evra
“A player I always look up to is Patrice Evra. He’s family, that’s how I see him, and he’s always looked after me, helped me and given me advice. He’s someone on the pitch who is very serious and very professional, yet away from the pitch he’s a brother and someone you can have a laugh with – as you’ve seen on our videos on Instagram! He’s someone very important for a football team and for a club, and as a person he’s someone who can help you a lot.”
– Paul Pogba
“I thank Patrice for all he brought to the side, including his experience in the locker room which helped some young players to grow.
– Massimiliano Allegri
“His consistency is incredible. He’s been asked to play every single week for seven or eight years. The same thing happened to me, and the physical drain on you is massive, but he has been absolutely sensational. He was the best left-back in the Premier League for years, and you never would have thought that he would have such an impact when we saw him in those first few weeks at the club. It was a such a culture shock for him to get used to the Premier League, but he has gone on to become a great performer for United and one of the club’s most consistent players of recent years.
“His influence in the dressing room is not something you will understand unless you’ve been in there with him. At times, he was almost the glue that connected it. You talk about the British players and the foreign players, and he had equally good relationships with all. He’s so vibrant around the dressing room, a huge character. He has a fantastic personality. He’s a leader, somebody who would really get everybody going before a game. What surprised me, when I first started hearing him talk in the changing room, he was really passionate about the things he was saying to the team.
“Patrice Evra, alongside myself and a few others, is one of the players who has the most experience in this competition [Champions League]. I must say that when there are important battles, it’s great to see the competitive spirit that he’s able to transmit.”
– Gianluigi Buffon
Founder and editor of Footiecentral. A voracious reader who loves reading anything and everything related to the history of football. He’s an ardent supporter of Manchester United and rarely misses a match.