Ever wanted to ask the world’s elite soccer players how they made it to the top? Well, if you did, they’d most likely respond to that. saying they are just that good, plain and simple. However, if you asked these players how’d they perform if they happened to skip their pre-game ritual; you will most likely receive a different outcome.
The first thing that comes to mind when you hear about performance enhancing product is most likely not pre-game rituals; nevertheless, they help players produce great results results for each game, even if they are just unique omens or confidence boosters. Even though pre-game rituals are not technically a product, they are an important part of today’s game that is rarely talked about. Almost every single soccer player on this planet has a special routine before each game no matter what level of play, whether it be school, club, or professional, and he deems it absolutely necessary before each fixture.
These unique procedures can vary greatly from player to player. For example, I listen to music before each game (a fairly normal routine) however, I have a teammate of mine who must dress from right to left every single time before a match (slightly out of the ordinary).
After reflecting on my own habits, I began to wonder what are some of the pro’s traditions. After a little research I found a few interesting practices performed by our beloved stars. Cesc Fabregas, my personal favorite, has a consistent custom of kissing a ring his girlfriend gave him four times before each match. And due to his recent form you must admit it is definitely working for him.
Most fans know about Ashley Cole’s bath with leather cleats to soften them up for his next match, yet this is not the strangest of our heroes’ rituals. Most definitely the strangest one of them of all is of France’s Laurent Blanc, who had to kiss the head of his goalie, Fabien Barthez, before each World Cup match in 1998, which interestingly enough, France went on to win.
Manchester City’s Kolo Toure also has a unique routine; he has to be the last one on the pitch, every game. In fact, one game the Ivory Coast star entered the field late during the second half and was booked for entering the field of play without the referee’s consent (that’s taking it to the extreme).
A legend on the other Manchester squad, George Best, had a semi-normal routine of eating a chocolate bar before each game; not the healthiest thing to do, but something that proved very effective for him.
Pre-game rituals are often unique to a certain individual and may vary in strangeness between each player; however, no matter how bizarre, they almost always prove rewarding for our world-class players.
Please comment below if you know of or have any strange rituals of your own that you’d like to share. We’d love to hear them.
During the Gold Cup, for some odd reason I saw Timmy Howard grabbing large quantities of dirt, and rubbing them into his gloves…not the best for grip or durability lol
I usually have pre-match wank that helps a lot. Gets rid of the nerves and helps relax the muscles
hahahahah
nice article! I thought eating chocolate before the game is a good thing
don’s got a decent ritual their hahahahahahaahahahhahahhahahahhahahahaha
Good idea for an article. I know that Arsenal players are banned from playing loud music before a game because Arsene believes it gets the players too excited and it increases their heart rate before the game. And I know there is one ex Ipswich player who used to headbutt the wall in the changeroom before every game to psyche himself up.
Mine’s not that exciting. I just have a thing where I have to put on all my stuff on my right before my left. So that’s socks, hot shot gels and boots before I even start on the left. That’s about it.
well its not bizarre. actually normal but rare these days. mesut ozil says he recites the Holy Quran before a match and says his teammates know not to disturb him when doing so.
video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrFmk574bBM
Of course there’s also Chicharito’s on-pitch knelt prayer before every match and Phil Jones has admitted that he puts on his socks starting on the side that whatever team he is playing for appears on the fixtures schedule. For example, for home games, he puts on the left sock first, and away he puts on the right first, as it appears on the schedule.