How important is the diet of a footballer to performance and recovery?

euronews (in English)

The football calendar is packed with games, so a quick recovery time for a player's health is vital. But what role does diet play, and how does this change from player to player?

Transcript

00:00It takes true dedication for a footballer to play at maximum efficiency each week.

00:05There's always an intense training schedule, so staying fit and healthy is

00:10extremely important to stay matchday ready. Let's take a look at how crucial

00:15the diet of a football player is to their peak performance.

00:20Hello and welcome to Football Now from the Aspartar Hospital in Qatar.

00:32At the turn of the century there weren't many footballers who closely monitored

00:35what they were putting into their bodies, but in the modern game the importance of having

00:40the right diet to be in the optimum condition is imperative to their overall well-being.

00:45On this week's episode of the show we're taking a look at how nutrition has become

00:49an essential part of the game as well as getting an insight into the average diet of a footballer.

00:5820 years ago there was actually no sports nutrition. There was kind of like exercise

01:02physiology but there was no cover over sports nutrition and the first people that actually

01:07covered for example sports supplements for performance were laughed at at the beginning

01:11in the US. In the past there was a blanket approach for the players so they were giving

01:15them all the same food and the same guidelines. We changed from basic guidelines like that much

01:21carb or that much protein and then it became individualized based not only on the needs but

01:26also on the training load and on individual physiological needs and if a player has an

01:31injury for example. If an injured player is undergoing the last stage of rehabilitation

01:36our main focus would be to reduce the impact of muscle fatigue. So this is where we tend to

01:40increase their carbohydrate intake, increase their calories and make sure they're getting

01:44the proper recovery within the training schedule. With such an intense training schedule footballers

01:51often need between 500 and 1000 calories more per day than an average person. Calories in food are

01:58mainly carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates are the go-to energy source for intermittent

02:04sports like football. When we consume carbs they are turned into glucose which the body stores

02:10until we need to exert energy. Without a diet high in carbohydrates footballers can find

02:16themselves running on empty. Proteins like chicken, fish, eggs, red meat and soy products are essential

02:22to build and repair muscle. They're also crucial to regulating the body's metabolism and while fat

02:28is often seen as something that is bad for you, the right types of fat can contribute to a balanced

02:33and nutritious diet. Too much saturated fat can put players at risk of slowing down and hindering

02:39performance but moderation is key and an in-shape player should aim for roughly 20 to 25 percent of

02:45their diet to include fats. Good fats can be found in fatty fish, meat, dairy and avocado. So for a

02:53professional athlete or a professional footballer the difference is not just in macronutrients. We

02:58hear a lot talking about protein but actually it's not just about protein, it's about the amount of

03:04carbohydrates that they require and within football also within the playing position

03:08there are changes. So a goalkeeper does not cover the same distance as a striker for example. So in

03:14terms of carbohydrates they need more for the fueling and here also it comes with the timing

03:19of the meal that they have to take in order to perform that much of workload. So compared to an

03:25average person we deal with the macronutrients and the timings and also the amount of micronutrients

03:31they change because footballers have much more stress. So for example in a training camp they

03:36will require more antioxidants as well and that's the main difference. So it seems

03:42the dietary requirements of footballers can be pretty complex but at the end of the day they

03:47are still human beings. They still have allergies, cultural differences and foods they simply don't

03:52like. So we asked the footballer chef to explain how they tailor their menus to make sure everyone

03:58is catered for.

03:59Well we've heard from the experts but what do you think is the main reason why footballers

04:03are not catered for?

04:05I think the main reason is that footballers don't like the food that is served to them.

04:09They don't like the food that is served to them. They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:13They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:15They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:17They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:19They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:21They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:23They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:25They don't like the food that is served to them.

04:27Well we've heard from the experts but what about the players themselves?

04:29We spoke to our Arabian midfielder Marco Verratti, who's a nine-time league unchampion with PSG

04:35and a European Championships winner with Italy. He told us just how crucial diet is to remaining

04:41at peak performance as well as giving us a little bit of an insight into what the average

04:45day of food looks like for a top level footballer.

04:48Yes, I think it's very important, especially when you're a professional like that,

04:53when you have a lot of matches, I think it's the most important thing for your body to be at its best.

04:58It depends, it depends on the training.

05:00We already know what the days are that are a bit harder, the days that are a bit more recovery.

05:05It depends a lot on that.

05:06On a typical day, I wake up in the morning, I make myself an omelette with avocado.

05:10On a typical day, it depends on the training, it's a bit more physical.

05:13In the afternoon, I eat a bit of pasta and chicken.

05:15I know that training isn't going to be hard.

05:17I prefer to eat carbohydrates.

05:19In the evening, I always eat protein, vegetables, not carbohydrates.

05:22Yes, it's very important because in the end, you have to run 10, 11, 12 kilometres.

05:26Three hours before, we always eat a lot of carbohydrates.

05:29We eat white pasta, which we use to perform in matches.

05:35A fascinating insight there into the diet of a footballer as eating the right food goes

05:40hand in hand with physical fitness.

05:42Let us know why you think nutrition has become such a crucial part of the game

05:46using the hashtag footballnowfootballersdiet.

05:49That's all we've got time for here from the Aspartar Hospital in Qatar.

05:53We'll see you next time.

05:54Bye for now.

Category

Transcript

Recommended