Superstition and pre-match rituals are very much part and parcel of the footballer’s daily life. From the bizarre to the obsessive; these rituals have been around since the first pig’s bladder was kicked, and they’ll be around long after the game goes intergalactic.
Music choices, car park spots, breakfast and accessories; the list really is endless, and even the most well-known of footballers boast some of the weirdest superstitions – take Chelsea captain John Terry for instance.
Terry, a Premier League legend with over 700 club appearances for the Blues, has well over 50 pre-match superstitions ranging from shin pads to urinals:
“I started off with a couple of superstitions and because we did so well, kept winning and winning, I ended up with about 50 of them.