Niko Kovac: "For me, Lionel Messi is the best player in the world. It was always like that, and it will continue the same way in the future" [Goal] 
Kovac: "The attacking players are the salt in the soup. They score the beautiful goals. This is remembered by the people. I would wish that other players who are not in the foreground get their part of the awards"
Kovac: "CL favourites? Real, Atletico, Barca, the English teams, PSG, Juve. It's hard for smaller teams to get past the last 16. You can beat a big team in one game, but over 2 legs it's difficult. I think all the big teams will reach the quarters"
Kovac: "Real won 3 UCL in a row which is great and unique. I don't think it will happen again soon. But they won only one league title which shows that you have to accept cuts and it's difficult to do well in all 3 competitions. Anyway, I think they will do well again this year"
Kovac: "I'm human before everything. I try to see every player as a person. Everyone needs appreciation. I'm not a sorcerer or a miracle healer, but I try to meet everyone at eye level. I'm not above them just because I'm their coach. I think that's good"
Kovac on Renato Sanches: "Renato's issue is social, not football related. You have to try to understand other people. You can't treat a foreigner like a German because he reacts differently. I told Renato that it's not easy to become a Bayern starter. His chance will come."
Kovac: "I learnt how to deal with every player apart. I think it benefits me that I have Croatian roots but grew up in Germany. I have two mentalities. I've learned a lot from the diversity in Frankfurt, the German and foreign players as well. Diversity makes life interesting."
Kovac: Before the cup final, we at Frankfurt thought about how to harm Bayern, we knew counter attacks were their weakness. Now I'm trying to fix that & find the right balance. If you neglect defense, you will struggle & if you focus totally on defending, you won't create chances
Kovac: "We play a game every 3 days, no player is able to play every 3 days. And if he thinks he can, he's lying to himself. I tell players about my plans. If a player will start today and be rested next week, I will tell him so he can take that into account and adjust himself"
