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The Most Famous Vegan Football Player
Eating meat has been a vital part of our survival and evolution as human beings since the dawn of time. It is also crucial for the diet of professional athletes who need more proteins than the average joe. But new studies show that veganism can be very beneficial even for people who are subjected to enormous muscle fatigue.
Yet, it’s hard to imagine powerhouses such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic eating vegies and beans all day long. Nevertheless, if you think about it, there are a lot of strong animals like the bison, for example, who survive merely on plants. This only comes to show that maybe we’re soon to change our old beliefs and perspective on good protein sources.
Some popular athletes are already doing a plant-based diet with great success in sports such as bodybuilding and MMA. The reduction of cholesterol, more energy, and improved sleep are just a few of the reported benefits that animal-free dieting high-performance sportsmen see. Since our article’s focus is on the most famous vegan football players, let’s see who made the list.
Lionel Messi
Messi is one of the most recognizable names in modern sports and arguably the all-time greatest football player. Surprisingly enough, he’s also the most famous vegan football player who has experienced first handed the benefits of this lifestyle. Before the World Cup 2018, his personal nutritionist has advised him to reduce to a minimum all animal products following his adductor injury.
As a result, the six-time Ballon d’Or holder has obtained a leaner physique and improved his endurance and tolerance to traumas. But this was not the first time when LM10 kept a strict vegan diet. Reportedly, the superstar has been doing it on and off-season as early as 2014/15 when he scored astonishing 58 goals in 57 games and didn’t miss a single match.
Sergio Aguero
A fellow countryman of Messi’s and also a famous vegan football player is Aguero. The Argentinian forward is one of the best strikers in the world who’s been performing on the highest level for many years. In an interview in 2015, Aguero stated that he had to change his diet and leave meat, sugars, and pasta out after suffering from a hamstring injury for nearly 40 days.
As it turned out, cutting out on the animal products has helped him stay away from the sidelined list for nearly 12 months. The Manchester City striker said that he’s been recovering much quicker and has reduced muscle pain and inflammation. It’s unclear, though, if he’s still following a strict vegetarian regime as Aguero has admitted loving the traditional Argentine asado meat.
Hector Bellerin
One more player from the rough Premier League has been openly talking about being a vegan, and that’s Hector Bellerin. Arsenal’s defender has adopted the animal-free diet at the beginning of season 2017/18 as a trial but has admitted that ever since he feels much better. His chronic ankle pain and stiffness has been gone.
The Spaniard has also stated that his physical and mental health is also improved, as well as the quality of his sleep. However, during season 2018/19, Bellerin has been sidelined for over 200 days. Missing 31 games from the season raised a lot of questions over his vegan choices and the benefits of it. Nevertheless, the misfortunate season has not discouraged Hector from his diet, and he remains one of the most vocal vegan football players.
Alex Morgan
Next is one of the most famous female vegan football player Alex Morgan. The American women’s football (or soccer, as they call it) star begun her plant-based diet at the end of 2017. Morgan has admitted that it was one of the most challenging things due to her passion for pancakes and French toast. Nevertheless, she has been going strong, taking enough nutrients and proteins that help her recover much better than before.
Although her journey was initially inspired after she partakes in a PETA animal campaign alongside her rescued dog, she admits that it has also helped her football career. Morgan is yet another vegan football player who gives credit to this lifestyle, and reports improved energy levels, quicker recoveries, and enhanced sleep.
“I’m passionate about giving animals a voice. I even adopted a vegan diet, because it didn’t feel fair to have a dog I adore, and yet eat meat all the time.”Alex Morgan
The Only Vegan Football Team
If you think that the abovementioned vegan football players have inspirational stories, think again because there’s an entire vegan football team coming up. Yep, that’s right, in 2015 the English Forest Green Rovers FC have captured countless headlines for being the first vegan football club in the world. The club has a rich history, having been founded in 1889, but the actual progress for them begun under the spell of Dale Vince.
During season 2009/10, when Forest Green Rovers FC was still a Conference team, they were struggling in the relegation zone. But the new owner Dale Vince stepped in with a great new vision and planned to make the club really green and stand up to its name. The path to the eco-friendly lifestyle included removing red meat from the player’s diet alongside completely stopping the sale of meat on the premises of the club.
It took some years, but the results were evident. In season 2016/17, Forest Green Rovers FC secured their first-ever promotion to the professional League Two. A year later, in 2018, the club wrote yet another fantastic chapter in their history, becoming the first-ever carbon neutral football team. Despite having merely 2,000 seats on their stadium, the Green Army, as they’re also called, won the hearts of thousand of veganists and neutral football fans around the world.
