People can spend their childhood and some of their adulthood dreaming of playing professional football for one of the world’s top clubs. Scoring the winner in a big game sounds like a fantastic job, but what else do players get to do?
Footballers are not that different from anyone else and
do many of the same things everyone does but a lot more extravagantly. Here is
a look at how footballers spend their spare time.
Travel Time is Spent Scrolling and Tapping
Whatever level a player is playing at, they will be
spending some time on the road. For the big boys of European football, time is
spent in the air instead. The situation they find themselves in is the same;
players are stuck in a chair for a few hours.
Footballers will do the same things that many people do
on their commutes to work, scroll through social media, and play on their
phones, all while listening to music. If you see the footage of players
arriving at a stadium on the TV you will see nearly all of them wearing
expensive headphones, listening to tunes.
Many players enjoy playing on gaming sites on long trips.
They look for the best gambling sites just like the rest of us do. You can look
here for impartial
information regarding gaming sites if you have a
long journey or even on your daily trip to work and back.
The players with a large social media following will use
their travel time to keep fans updated on the journey. Their accounts are
usually closely monitored by their clubs though. Many players will have social
media managers, as well as publicists, that check tweets and Instagram posts
before sharing.
Football is Not Their Only Sport
Athletes cannot help themselves. They spend all week
playing and practising a sport, and then they will devote a large part of their
spare time to another. The biggest second sport amongst footballers is golf,
and players can quite just as competitive with each other on the golf course as
they do on the football pitch.
Players golf together a lot, and players from different
teams will golf competitively sometimes. Golf is a game you can play on your
own too. Some footballers spend a little too much time playing 18-holes. A
recent example was Gareth Bale at Real Madrid, who asked to be left out of a
Champions League game only to be spotted hours later
on a golf course while his teammates travelled.
Footballers play a lot of other sports too but must be
careful. There is a clause in most football contracts that stipulates players
must avoid dangerous activities that can cause an injury.
This keeps them away from extreme sports like
snowboarding, but also physically intensive sports like rugby. Golf is so
popular with players because it is easy going and they are much less likely to
injure themselves. It also honours their expensive contracts, and they are less
likely to spend time injured on the bench.
Playing on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC
Videogames are a popular pass time, especially amongst
the younger players. They may play the latest FIFA game against each other
online, and maybe some fans have beaten their idols in some matches too.
They play many of the same titles everyone else does,
like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, and can play online anonymously, hiding
behind a username. This can be a terrific way for players to unwind and relieve
the pressure that comes from playing football at the highest level and being a
professional sports star.
Fortnite is a smash-hit online game that has caused
problems in the Premier League. Some players have had to be treated for
addiction to the game, and it was interfering with their
focus and training schedule. This problem has reared its head in the game
before, with Liverpool goalkeeper David James attributing poor performances in
the league to playing Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation.
Younger footballers coming through the ranks have been
playing video games all their life now and continue playing when they turn
professional. Now videogame addiction is replacing the drug and alcohol
addiction problems that plagued Premier League teams in the 1990s.
Working for Charities
Every top club has associations with important charities.
Player's contracts will often ensure they have to contribute some of their time
and fame to support local children’s hospitals for example. Some players will
only satisfy their contractual obligations and then move on, but many continue
to support the charities as well as others that they have chosen themselves.
Regular financial donations are just the start for some
footballers, with many using their social media clout and their contacts in the
press to publicise charities. This can be a massive boost to many worthy
causes, as the big-name players always attract a lot of attention and help
bring both financial support and volunteers to their doors.
Keeping Fit and Eating Healthily
Footballers will spend a lot of their time at work
training, exercising, and monitoring their nutrition. The top clubs keep a
close eye on their player’s eating and workout regimes to maintain peak levels
of fitness and help them to recover after an injury.
Many players take these habits back home with them,
especially as they get a little older. The career of a football player is a
short one. From turning professional at 18 most players only have around 20
years to earn enough money to last the rest of their lives. Playing at the
highest level does not last forever either, many players will drop down to
lower leagues in their thirties and will earn less as a result.
The footballers who spend time at home maintaining their
nutritional plan, staying fit with cardio, and doing some yoga, will usually
have a longer career and keep playing in the top leagues. Players still having
a place in a top-level squad while in their late thirties is becoming common.
There you have it. Being a professional footballer seems
like it is all fun and games, and it pretty much is. Players need to make the
most of it when they can though. Their careers do not last long.
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