The FIFA World Cup is a soccer tournament that unites people internationally and brings pride to teams that are representing their countries. It takes a great amount of discipline, talent, and practice to be a part of the teams that even qualify for the World Cup, but there are only a handful of players that actually go the extra mile to increase their strength and endurance by eating well and working out even when the season is over. These are the players that are most reliable and contribute the most to their teams.
The HFR team and Samir Becic, author of the Harper Collins fitness book ReSYNC Your Life, and 4-time #1 fitness trainer in the world researched the World Cups most remarkable players and deciphered the fittest among them.
Here are the Top 10 Fittest Players that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in alphabetical order:
Antoine Griezmann
- Europa league winner while playing for the Spanish Club “Atletico Madrid”
- Made is debut the French Professional club “Real Sociedad” in the 2009-2010 season where he performed extremely well scoring five goals in four games of the pre-season campaign
- Won the Euro 2016 Golden Boot award
- Has scored 79 goals for Atletico Madrid in his career with them
- Has scored 40 goals for Real Sociedad in his career with them
- Was awarded Euro 2016 Topscorer award
- A previous European Under 19 champion
- Most of his workouts are based around the Atletico Madrid pre-season training regime which focuses on ball handling and stamina by doing drills such as toe touches with a soccer ball and multiple footwork drills
- You will see that Antoine Griezmann mainly gets his workouts from practicing his on the training field. Rather it’s him working on his side shots with Atletico Madrid or just working on his ball handling skills with the French team he is always wanting to do something related to soccer
- He does he keep himself physically active with other fun recreational activities rather it be driving golf balls at the range or him shooting some free throws on the court
- Antoine Griezmann diet mainly consists of healthy carbohydrates due to the high amount of energy that soccer requires
- Occasionally will enjoy some sweets every now and then
- Being French, he also drinks wines occasionally but only for very special occasions like his honeymoon
Cristiano Ronaldo
- Has won Ballon d’Or 5 times, World Player of the Year, Golden Boot, and World Club championship which are a few of the many awards that he has received while playing Manchester United and Real Madrid CF.
- He also received the Guinness World Record for the most goals in UEFA Champions League season.
- Ronaldo trains at the gym by starting off with a cardio based warm-up and then working out with a mix of cardiovascular training and weights, such as rowing and barbell squats, exercises targeting all body areas.
- Unsurprisingly, he eats well and regularly with a diet of high protein, whole-grains, and fruits and vegetables eaten in six smaller meals throughout the day.
Denis Cherysev
- Winning the Sevilla FC Europa League in season 13/14 and Real Madrid Champions League 15/16, Cherysev shouldn’t be overlooked for he is lucky since he had a rough period in “Copa-gate” Euro 2016, but has proven to be a vital player for the Russian team with 2 Man of the Match trophies and 3 goals after two games.
- Besides participating in regular practice, Cherysev likes to surf on his down time which takes a lot of balance and core strength and train with a lot of cardio exercises, such as hurdle sprints and zig-zag jumping
- He is not one to stick to a strict diet so he balances his meals and indulges in a sweet treat once in a while
Edinson Cavani
- Edinson Cavani has won Ligue 1 Player of the Year,
- Has won Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer twice,
- Edinson Cavani was awarded CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup Qualification Top Goal Scorer 2018 with 10 goals.
- On fitness, Edinson Cavani can be quoted as saying “once you get to a professional level, being a footballer is like being a machine. You must look after your body, especially when preparing for the new season.”
- His training is similar to Neymar’s as they both play for PSG. On his Instagram, you’ll find training photos of him deadlifting, working on his core, or recovering with some cryotherapy.
- On his Instagram, Cavani can be seen cooking up a meal after a match win.
- The meal his high protein with plenty of colorful vegetables.
- While you may occasionally spot him enjoying a glass of wine, Cavani takes his nutrition just as seriously as he takes his training.
Jordan Pickford
- Pickford is a 24 yr old Goalkeeper for England’s soccer team
- Everton Players’ Player of the Season: 2017
- Everton Young Player of the Season: 2017–18
- England Under-21 Player of the Year: 2017
- Pickford made sure to watch what he ate in preparation for this World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe
- At just the Age of 19, Mbappe is 1x World Cup Winner, 2x French Champion Winner, 1x French Cup Winner, 1x French League Cup Winner, 1x European Under-19 Champion.
- He is also Donating $500,000 USD of his world cup winnings to a charity called Premiers de Cordees, an organization that host sporting events for children with disabilities.
- During an interview with GQ Mbappe revealed how he manages to stay so fit.
- He starts off every work out with warm-ups to prepare his body
- He Then he Moves on to Some resistance training
- Then he Moves to advanced resistance training
- He cycles for cardio training at times
- He practices balance training for coordination.
- Just like most members who thrive to be great Mbappe keeps his body toxins free. He does not have published diet plan that he goes by
Lionel Messi
- As an Argentinian legend, Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or 5 times.
- Lionel Messi is a 4-time European Golden Boot winner,
- Lionel Messi is a World Cup Golden Ball Winner,
- Was a 4 time La Liga Top Scorer,
- Was a 5-time Champions League Top Scorer,
- Lionel Messi is a 2-time UEFA Best Player in Europe Award winner.
- Craig Friedman, who designs training programs for professional and elite athletes, believes that Messi, in order to maintain his speed on the field and ball-handling abilities, divides his workouts into linear and multi-directional speed.
- The workouts focus on movement preparation, plyometrics, and movement skills, featuring the following exercises: lateral bounds, 3-hurdle drills, and acceleration drills.
- After struggling with vomiting during games, the Argentinian switched to a plant-based diet that focuses on five key foods, water, olive oil, whole grains, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. After switching to this diet, Messi lost approximately 3 kilograms.
Luka Modric
- One of the best players Croatia has,
- Luka Modric is a 4x Champion League Winner,
- Is a previous Spanish Champion
- Luka Modric is a previous Spanish Cup Winners,
- 2-time Spanish Super cup winner,
- 3-time FIFA World Cup Winner,
- 3-time Croatian Champion,
- 3-time UEFA Super Cup Winner,
- 2-time Croatian Cup winner,
- 7-time Player Of The Year.
- It’s easy to know which players stayed in shape when preseason training comes along. Modric has come a long way and did not slack during offseason because according to Mirror Sport UK he is a fitness freak.
- He is 5 ft 7¾ in or 172 cm and weighs 67 kg or 148 Ibs and despite his size, he pushes himself to earn the title as one of the best midfielders in his era.
- He shares himself on his personal Instagram page doing exercises like lifting weights, doing lots of field drills.
- Modric Eats a clean diet and lives a healthy life. He does not smoke and hardly drinks.
Neymar de Silva Santos Jr
- Neymar de Silva Santos Jr is a forward for the Soccer team of Brazil
- Won four Player of the year awards straight
- Has 202 club goals from 346 appearances
- 53 goals from 83 international appearances
- Joined the youth side of Portuguese team Santos FC at age 11
- Made his debut for the Portuguese team Santos FC where he scored 14 goals in 48 games in his debut season winning him the “Best Young Player” Award
- Scored 70 goals and assisted 35 times in 134 appearances in his club career
- He led his club to their first Copa Libertadores title in 43 years
- In 2016 Rio Olympics Neymar led Brazil as the captain of the team and scored the only goal in the 1-1 draw between Brazil and Germany. He help take home the winning penalty in the shootout to win Brazil its first Olympic football gold medal.
- He first starts his workout by stretching and focusing on flexibility. Once he’s finished stretching he then averts his attention to strength building exercises such as squat jumps, rope skipping, hopping hurdles and short sprints. His second phase of his workout helps him focus mainly on his movement. Neymar starts the part of this workout by doing pillar steps, forward lunges and multi directional lunges.
- He also uses plyometrics to increase his fast twitch fibers which help him with speed overall
- When he goes to the gym he does a circuit which allows him to not only build muscle but endurance
- His diet consist of around 2600-3200 calories a day
- Divides his caloric intake into two main groups 60% coming from carbohydrates and 30% coming from protein with the last 10% coming from fats
- Mainly eats complex carbs to give him plentiful amounts of energy
- Avoids proteins that contain a large amount of cholesterol and fat
- Has multiple small meals a day to keep his metabolism going
Romelu Lukaku
- As a Premier League Football and Belgian National Team star, Romelu Lukaku, at just 25 years old has been named a Europa League Top Scorer and been on an FA Cup Winning Team.
- Standing at 6’4”, Romelu has his size as an advantage. However, he continues to push his body to its limits to increase his power and pace using TRX cables, dumbbells, core exercises, plyometrics and reaction drills.
- He also uses ladders, short sprints with resistance bands, and longer sprints with a weight sled.
- In addition to the training he does with the team, he also trains five times a week at home. In a Youtube video with Nike Training, Lukaku claims that “you train how you play” a mantra that drives him to pushes him to train harder than his opponents.
- In his earlier years as a player, Lukaku struggled with junk food cravings and, during the summer would indulge in “burgers, pizzas, and everything[he] loves.”
- However, Lukaku now limits his red meat intake due to a belief that it has negative effects on his tendons.
- He has a chef who prepares him protein dense meals and sweet potato and porridge in the mornings.
- Now that he’s older, Lukakut claims to “try to be careful with food in general.”
- According to Samir Becic, founder of HFR, Lukaku needs to lose 10 lbs.
Honorary Mentions:
Ahmed Musa
- Musa is one of Nigeria’s top soccer players and showed his ability to follow through on game two with Ice Land by scoring the remarkable shot that won the game for the team.
- He won the Russian championship three times,
- Was a previous Russian Cup Winner,
- 2-time Russian Super Cup Winner,
- Was a previous Africa Cup Winner
- As far as fitness goes Musa believes that fitness is very important to him as he opens up a fitness center in his home town Kano Nigeria.
- From his social media outlets Musa loves field practicing, running and light weight training
- Musa does not have a particular diet, he enjoys several of his native dishes but makes sure to stay clear from drugs and alcohol.
Ludwig Augustinsson
- European under 21 Champion,
- 3 time Danish Cup winner,
- 2 time Danish Champion,
- Swedish Cup winner.
- Augustinsson loves to train but emphasizes that having fun while exercising is when you are doing it right. To him, if it feels right then it’s good enough, like barbell deadlifts.
- Augustinsson also seems to have a high protein and carb diet by eating foods such as sushi and meat with potatoes
Harry Kane
- Two time top scorer with the Premier League
- Two time top scorer with the Tottenham Hotspur
- Was named the Premier League of the Month six times
- Included in the PFA young player of the year three times
- Received the Premier League Golden Boot award twice
- He won against Southend United by scoring a hat trick
- His weekly training regimen involves three-hour outdoor training sessions with additional gym sessions
- Play different sports like cricket, golf, and American football
- His gym sessions involve mountain climber push-ups, vertical jumps, plank pushups, leaning tower lunges, shoulder taps and many more workouts that he alternates between
- His diet starts with eggs brown toast and spinach in the morning
- For lunch, he has chicken breast with mixed vegetables
- Tries to focus on carb consumption during either during lunch or dinner
- Snacks on nuts, fresh fruits, or natural yogurt
- Makes sure he’s hydrated by drinking plenty of water
Isco Alarcon
- Isco has 4 Champion League Titles, 1 La Liga Title, 3 UEFA Super Cups, and 3 Club World Cups all under Real Madrid.
- He is known for his close passes and has scored 10 goals earning him 26 caps for Spain.
- Isco knows being is shape is very important so he works out in the gym a lot while training with things such as hurdle sprints.
- He also enjoys other activities such as swimming which is great for the legs.
- Isco likes to eat with his friends and family when he can. He eats balanced diet, however, will have a “bad” snack or two even while training.
Radamel Falcao
- Radamel Falcao is a two time Europa League Top Scorer and the All-Time Top Scorer for Colombia.
- Falcao’s career hit a road bump when he injured his knee and was unable to play in the 2014 World Cup. However, in the two years following this injury, Falcao focused on his rehabilitation, working to return to his former glory.
- On his Instagram, he can be seen working on his balance and core with stability balls and TRX bands.
- Falcao plays for AS Monaco, a club that focuses on educating their players on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and how eating right can benefit their performance.
- The player’s diets are personalized by nutritionists and their blood is drawn to ensure that they are well hydrated and receiving the all nutrients that they need.
Xherdan Shaqiri
- Xherdan is a 26 yr old right winger for Switzerland
- Previous Champions League Winner,
- 3-time German Champion,
- 2-time German Cup Winner,
- 3-time Swiss Champion,
- 2-time Swiss Cup Winner,
- Previous Fifa Club World Cup Winner,
- Previous UEFA Supercup Winner,
- Previous German Super Cup Winner,
- 2-time Footballer of the year.
- By just looking at Shaqir you can tell he cares very much about fitness.
- Shaqiri is 5’7 159 lbs and has an impressive workout plan, from intense field workouts like lunges, pulls, plyometric jumps and many more
- It is obvious that he also never misses a leg day. We found this video of him showing a little of his workouts on Youtube
- There’s no exact reported diet but Shaqiri speaks about being responsible with the way he eats and knowing how to behave.
Takashi INUI
- Was the Letterwinner of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament in 2006
- At age 19 he signed with for the Yokohama F. Marinos of the J. League Division 1
- Was traded to the German club Vfl Bochum in July 2o11 and after an impressive season with the Vfl Bochum Takashi signed a three year contract with Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.
- Takashi played with Frankfurt for four seasons were he made 87 appearances and 9 goals
- On May 21 2017 Takashi became the first ever Japanese player to score against La Giga giants F.C Barcelona
- Takashi has 27 caps for his national team
- Was named in Japan’s starting 11 for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
- Ever since his announced his debut to play for the La Liga organization his training regime has been modified to get him ready for that situation
- This involves footwork, sprints and agility training but although it maybe tiring Takashi is always happy to be working to play soccer as you can see in this instagram post
- He also stays fit by doing recreational activities with family like swimming
- His diet is very generic in the sense that it replicates of what a lot of other soccer players are doing in order to achieve maximum performance. This involves a heavy focus on proteins, fats and most importantly carbs.
- Due to his activity level Takashi consume a plethora of carbs in order to give enough energy to make it through his workouts
- Only weighing 139 pounds he makes sure that his caloric intake is in balance with everything he his doing as well as body weight
