Quotes of the week

Wiggins and Team Sky were royally praised by Her Majesty

"I've got to get used to going into the history books now, but I'm just trying to take everything in today first. It's very surreal at the moment because this type of things [usually] happen to other people. You never imagine it happening to yourself." Bradley Wiggins becomes the first ever Brit to win the Tour de France.

"Like everyone in the country I am absolutely delighted. Bradley Wiggins has scaled one of the great heights of British sporting achievement. To be the first British person in 109 years to win the Tour de France is an amazing feat of physical and mental ability and aptitude and I think the whole country wants to say well done and brilliant." PM David Cameron leads the applause for the Team Sky man.

"I send you my warmest congratulations on becoming the first British cyclist ever to win the Tour de France. Your historic achievement of claiming overall victory in this prestigious event is a great testament to the efforts of you and your team-mates." The Queen adds her own congratulations.

"I can't think of any British sportsperson who could say that they've achieved more for a single sporting achievement. I don't think you can match that, it's just phenomenal." Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy puts Wiggins' achievement into perspective.

"There's two things I got in my life, man: my word and my balls." Dereck Chisora, boxing's Oscar Wilde.

"My time with Milan finished in the best possible way, with a goal in the final game [a late winner against Novara at the San Siro], so it was all perfect." Filippo Inzaghi draws the curtain on a magnificent career.

"When I first started doing it, [my team-mates] were all caning me, saying 'What are you doing that for?' But then they see there's some benefit in doing it. You have Liverpool fans, Manchester City fans, obviously now Chelsea fans, who seem to follow me and come on there just to abuse me, but I'm not arsed. I've said it before, but that kind of stuff is like fuel. You use that stuff so when you play their team, there's even a little bit more rivalry about the game, that type of thing." Rio Ferdinand defends his use of Twitter.

"Fair play to City. But if you gave us the last few games of the season and put us in that situation again, it wouldn't happen. It was just madness." Rio rues the one that got away."No monetary b*******. No media b*******. Just pure, old school, mortgages and livelihoods on the line, balls-out football." Joey Barton in no way patronises his new Fleetwood team-mates.

"I feel that training in the lower leagues will give me a reality check and maybe help me become a better person, a little more humility will serve me well." It certainly will Joey, it certainly will...

"The strange thing for me was he never put the bag down, so when he was standing on the green he was carrying the bag all over the place. It's just absolute madness." Open organiser Jim McArthur fails to see the funny side to Carlos Tevez's caddying.

"I don't have a pen and a contract, so I'm no use to him and he'd be absolutely no use to me." Arsenal fan Ian Poulter rejects reports he's lined up Robin van Persie to do likewise.

"My Martin Luther King moment is that I, too, have a dream, and rather than West Ham put us out of business it is to let us have the Olympic Stadium." Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn just won't let it lie.

"I enjoyed the local beers, the ales are very good. But I was not out late." Brandt Snedeker enjoys Lytham & St Annes' real ale scene.

"I laugh a lot just not in front of you guys, your questions aren't funny." An ever dry Andy Murray puts a group of journalists in their place.

"I am representing Uruguay and that's all that matters to me. I said before that the English press is what matters least to me." Luis Suarez is another big fan of the media.

"I will be ringing Kanu today to see if there is anything I can do. I signed him for Portsmouth on a one-year contract and Tony Adams told me: 'You must be mad, he is finished'. Six years later, he is still there." Harry Redknapp rides into Portsmouth on a white horse.

"All the 'iconic' people I know are dead. That would've been a coup, wouldn't it? Forest getting a dead manager." New Nottingham Forest manager Sean O'Driscoll neatly deals with accusations he's not the 'iconic' name Forest's new owners had suggested.

"Their conversation wasn't exactly scintillating but they obviously found some common ground. They hope to hang out again in the next few days" A 'source' tells The Daily Mirror about a meeting between Mario Balotelli and Dean Gaffney in Ibiza.

"I don't want to be disrespectful to the players, but that's not their core competence." Proposals to make footballers responsible for the conduct of their agents leads Richard Scudamore to politely point out that players tend to be a bit thick, via the medium of manager speak.

"I think Modric is wrong (to want to leave Tottenham). This will go against him. He has worsened the situation with what he's doing and now the chairman (Daniel Levy) is very angry." Andre Villas-Boas warns Mr Modric that he's incurred the wrath of the man who pays his wages.

"I was happy with the transfer and sad about my exit from Milan because what I experienced there were some strong emotions. People call me a mercenary, which leaves me upset. I am not making more money at PSG. This is not my fault, I would like to apologise to the fans. This was a difficult situation for me: I did not want to leave Milan, and neither did my family." Thiago Silva can't wait to get to Paris.

"We haven't heard anything from Junior. I believe he has signed for QPR but that has not been confirmed yet. I think he has had a medical but we haven't been told that officially from QPR - we just heard on the grapevine. I don't know the process now. They might make us an offer for his registration but if not it might go to a tribunal. We feel we have played a large part in his development. We wish him all the best but it would have been nice if we had a call." Steve Kean concedes he has absolutely no idea what's going on with Junior Hoilett.

"When the Glazers took over here there was dissatisfaction, so there have always been pockets of supporters who have their views. But I think the majority of real fans will look at it realistically and say it's not affecting the team. We've won four championships since they've been there, one European Cup." Sir Alex Ferguson claims all 'real fans' should back the Glazers.

"I'm more proud of him (than he is of me). Definitely. He's been through so much in his life. Being misdiagnosed by the doctors then being in a wheelchair for three years after breaking his hip was a lot to go through. But he still managed to battle through it. He's had a tough time. And now he's here." Scott Sinclair on his brother Martin. The duo are set to become the first brothers to play football in the Olympic and Paralympic Games simultaneously.

"People ask me how I can sleep at night and why I am so relaxed, the honest answer is the quality of the people I know are out there working while I'm asleep." Lord Coe insists everything is on track for Friday's grand opening.

"Because of the expectation and the pressure, anything but gold everyone would view that as a failure and I'm aware of that." Jessica Ennis feels the heat.