“I stopped eating flour, and the theater valley is banging.” Small efforts pay off great fruits, and “self-care,” which is not insufficient even if you emphasize it 100 times

Pohang Steelers winger Jung Jae-hee (30) has made a splendid comeback in the 2024 season after recovering from his chronic hamstring injury. Since the opening of the “Hana Bank K League 1 2024,” he played in six matches, scoring the most goals in his team. Equipped with the league’s fastest speed, Jung mainly played as a joker in the second half, and scored all four goals in the extra time of the second half. His concentration is remarkable, with an average of one goal scored every 36.8 minutes. One of the secrets to Jung’s great rebound is “flour-free.” “I had a hard time watching the Pohang game on TV due to my injury last year. I quit flour dishes, fried foods, and soda to think I should do anything, and now I think it’s getting better,” Jung said. Some might wonder, “Does a professional not even an ordinary person eat flour dishes?” but it is not easy to quit eating foods that have been customary since childhood.

Korean national team veteran defender Kim Young-kwon (35, Ulsan) hired a personal trainer for the first time ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It was to create the best condition for the World Cup finals, but he has been working with a trainer for six years now, after two World Cups. The purpose of Kim Young-kwon’s monthly hiring of a personal trainer to manage his diet, weight, and condition is to live a healthier, longer career. It is an investment concept. Thanks to that, Kim Young-kwon showed off his strong performance in the K League 1 and is constantly playing as a member of the national team. In March, he played 111 A-match games in the second Asian qualifying round against Thailand, jumping to ninth in the most Korean A-match rankings.

Monster striker Erling Holan has drawn attention for his self-care after scoring 36 goals, the most in a single season in the English Premier League (EPL) during the 2022-2023 season. In a documentary released on OTT, Holan showed himself drinking water by purifying his own water inside his home. He went to bed before 10:30 p.m. and tried to improve the quality of his sleep by turning off all electronic devices before going to bed. It is also known that he enjoys eating cow hearts and livers that are rich in vitamin B, iron, phosphorus and copper. FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski changes his diet order to prevent injury and trains even on his days off, boasting of his high scoring ability even when he is in his mid-30s. Cristiano Ronaldo (39, Al Nasr) is famous for having a naptime at his club’s training site when he was playing for Real Madrid.

There are countless other players besides Chung Jae-hee, Kim Young-gwon, Lewandowski, and Ronaldo who take good care of themselves. These days, self-care has become a part of soccer. Some players are said to check their physical conditions every day. In the past, a player who focused on so-called “body care” was described as an “alone,” but now a player who does not take good care of his body is criticized for lacking professional consciousness. “Players’ performance and skills start from self-care,” said Lee Sang-ki, a former goalkeeper who now runs QMIT, a sports IT company. “In the past, players could stay up all night at a PC room and play even if they drink alcohol. However, the speed of transition to offense and defense has accelerated, and the number of sprints has increased. If your body does not evolve in line with this trend, you will not be able to endure it in the K-League. You need to pay attention to your mental and physical conditions to display explosive power on the field.” 퀸알바

Middle-aged players and soon-to-retire veterans take care of their bodies even if no one asks them to. In contrast, new-timers are practically blank when it comes to self-management. They are often blindly copying other players in the same team. Lee, who developed Plco, a player solution program, stressed that the biggest effect of self-management is to be aware of the fact and to find ways to suit individual characteristics.