Soccer is more of a physically demanding sport than most people realize. According to a clinical report from 2010 that was published in the journal Pediatrics, the injury rate of youth soccer is actually higher than other contact sports. It found that there were two injuries per 1,000 athletes for players under the age of 12, and four to 7.6 injuries per 1,000 athletes for players over the age of 12. Over the course of a season, there were an average of four injuries for girls’ soccer teams, and 3.5 injuries for boys’ soccer teams.
Considering just how likely a soccer player is to suffer an injury, it should come with little surprise that professional players know a thing or two about recovery. What should come as a surprise, though, are some of the things they do to get over an injury. Here are just a few.
Goat’s Blood. Bayern Munich’s medic Dr. Hans-Willhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt reportedly suggested a course of goats’ blood injections to a player to help him recover from a hamstring injury. This same physician, who is also the doctor for the German national team, claims that an extract from cockerels’ crests can help lubricate knee injuries.
Stem Cells. According to a report from the Sunday Times, players in the English Premier League have started buying stem cells in the even that they suffer potentially career-ruining injuries.
Voodoo. When Real Madrid soccer player and international superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was hurt with an ankle knack, a voodoo priest by the name of Pepe was allegedly hired to get the star off of the sidelines. When this was revealed in the Spanish press, a number of other magicians stepped forward to also help the player. A Portugese wizard by the name of Fernando Nogueira took a shot at getting Ronaldo back on his feet, and failed. The next ones to try were a band of Peruvian shamans, who gathered outside the Spanish Embassy in Lima to perform a ritual meant to lift the injury curse on Ronaldo. Ultimately, Ronaldo remained sidelined, and had to get over his injury the old fashioned way.
While such methods may work for the pros, amateurs would probably do well to visit their family practice doctors if they suffer an injury or sickness. If you know of any other weird ways to recover from an injury, feel free to share in the comments.