Pickle juice and group bonding: The health and fitness secrets of the Euro’s top teams

Sitting in front of the television watching the Euros all summer might be fun, but it’s not particularly healthy. By the time the football tournament reaches its final stages, some of us have been almost completely sedentary for almost a month, refuelling on a diet of heavily salted snacks and carbonated drinks. But, if you pay close attention, you might actually be able to improve your health and fitness while bingeing on non-stop football matches this summer. 

The Euros is basically a gathering of the world’s most finely tuned, expensively developed young athletes. “There was a time when football lagged behind other sports in terms of sports science,” says James Witts, author of Training Secrets Of The World’s Greatest Footballers: How Science Is Changing The Modern Game.

“But nowadays, the sheer amount of money involved in the game means that elite football is at the very forefront of athletic conditioning. It’s about basic accountability: if you’re paying a player £300,000 a week, then you’d better make sure they are keeping in the best shape possible.” 

For this reason, the latest trends in fitness, diet, recovery and sports psychology are all being driven by the Beautiful Game. Here’s what normal people with busy lives can learn from the training practices of Euro 24’s four semi-finalists.

Drink pickle juice like England

“Every team at the tournament will focus on muscle recovery because the break between matches is so short,” says Nicolas Dyon, a football fitness coach who has worked with elite clubs in France and Switzerland. “Combating cramps in games requires proper hydration.”

When Kieran Trippier, England’s left back, suffered cramps in the opening match against Serbia, he was seen drinking a small sachet of ‘pickle juice’ at the side of the pitch. The unpleasant-sounding drink has been found in studies to reduce cramp 40 per cent faster than drinking plain water. Not only does it help replace lost salts during exercise due to its sodium potassium and vinegar content, it is also thought to help trigger a reflex in the mouth which sends signals to the brain to stop muscles from cramping.

It could be a handy alternative to an energy drink on your next 10k run. Studies also suggest it can help ease hangovers, control your blood sugar levels, boost gut health and prevent bad breath by killing bacteria that breeds in the mouth.

Find a sport you enjoy, like Spain

Exercise should be fun. If our workouts are boring, stressful or overly exhausting, we will find any excuse we can to avoid them. “The Spanish tend to spend more time than most just playing with the ball,” says Andy Brassell, a writer, broadcaster and European football expert. 

“This keeps them stimulated and mentally fresh – the players feel more engaged with the training. You can see it in their performances. There is a certain joy to the way Spain have played in this tournament so far. Whereas footballers used to be treated like school children and told what was good for them, now there is a greater focus on understanding what players actually enjoy.” It’s a reminder for all of us. 

Stay focussed on your goal, like the Netherlands

Blocking out negative thoughts to stay focussed on your own fitness goals breeds resilience. It helps footballers get through the high-pressure experience of a tournament.” When Gary Lineker described England’s performances in the group stage as “s--t,” several players seemed disgruntled and hit back at the BBC anchorman in subsequent interviews. 

Not all teams are quite so sensitive. “Dutch players will have seen England’s response and laughed,” says Brassell. “Lineker’s words were gentle in comparison to the sort of thing the Dutch media throw at their team. The difference is that Dutch players are very used to that. They express opinions in a very forthright manner and don’t take criticism too personally.”

Bond like France

A sense of togetherness is essential in any successful team sport. At tournaments like the Euros, it can be hard to keep non-playing squad players happy and motivated. But tournament favourites France have a tradition to combat this. “They call their squad players and substitutes Les Coiffeurs,” says Andy Brassell. “It means ‘the hairdressers’ and is pretty literal. In the past, the inactive players would spend their time cutting their teammates’ hair in the hotel rooms. They spend so long together in these resorts between games, they need stuff like that to keep them active and involved.” It seems improbable that this bonding habit has reached the England camp yet. But for any of us engaged in team sports, it’s always worth finding activities to bond over outside of match days.