Lionel Messi is considered one of the strongest football players in history. He faced a rare growth disorder and poverty as a child, but achieved greatness through talent and intense training.
Blogger Brandon Williams conducted an unusual experiment: he followed Messi’s training regimen, diet and lifestyle to improve his football skills.
How did the blogger decide to take on the challenge?
William prepared for the training by purchasing the Adidas gear worn by Messi. He then conducted three performance tests under the guidance of his friends Brandon and Esteban.
- The first test is for speed. Messi changes direction frequently while maintaining high speed. Therefore, the blogger ran a short slalom, showing 6.6 seconds.
- The second test is a penalty. Williams isn’t very good at football and doesn’t hit well, but he scored 3 of 5 goals.
- The final test is a 1v1 dribble against Brandon. The blogger never managed to deceive his friend.
How does Messi train and eat?
During the first training session, William tried to understand how Messi was able to dribble the ball at high speed as if it were stuck to his foot. He tried to repeat this, although not entirely successfully.
William also tried to master Messi’s signature feints: swinging the body, circular movements of the foot over the ball, turning 360 degrees with the movement of the heel. The blogger practices these skills to use in his next 1v1 battle against Brandon.
In the gym, William worked on explosive movements similar to what Messi does to gain an advantage over defenders. He ran with an obstacle in the form of a fitness band, and also pumped up his calves. In addition, there were workouts on the sand, which football players love: they load the legs and increase endurance.
The blogger not only studied Messi’s skills, but also switched to his diet. Like a football player, William emphasizes the importance of nutrition, so he invited chef Jeff Ray to cook him quality food.
The chef prepared the blogger pan-fried chicken breast, rice and broccoli, one of Messi’s favorite lunches. And also the football player’s favorite dish — schnitzel milanesa a la napoletana. His mother prepared it for him as a child.
As for breakfast, the blogger, like the football player, ate a lot of berries. Find out more about Messi’s diet and nutritional rules in our material.
How is Messi recovering?
After training, William recovered — also in Messi style. To reduce inflammation and swelling, the football player immerses his feet in a special apparatus that keeps them in extreme cold. Five minutes after the start of the procedure, the blogger felt that his legs began to look like ice cubes.
William also alternated between a sauna and an ice bath to recover. It’s an effective, if not always pleasant, method of recovery that Messi favors.
In everyday life, William also followed Messi’s habits: he woke up at 6 in the morning, had breakfast with his family (he invited his nephew for this) and drove expensive cars.
How did the challenge end?
At the end of the video, the blogger again took the tests that he performed at the beginning of the video. He improved his running performance, scored a couple of penalties and was even able to dribble past a teammate once.
Of course, these changes are random — it is impossible to learn to play football in a week. It is much more interesting that the blogger plunged at least briefly into the life of one of the best football players in history, admitting that it is not as simple as many people think.