Ever wondered what the day in the life of a professional soccer player is like? Here is the full day schedule of former Manchester United and Everton player Phil Neville:
Morning
6:00 am – Phil gets up in the morning and performs some light Yoga. An example is a three-minute flow of sun salutations.
6:30am – Breakfast of porridge and some fruit like strawberries or pineapple. Phil washes down the breakfast with a glass of orange juice and some tea.
8.30am – Hydration is important and he drinks a bottle of water on the way to practice and on the way back.
9.00am – Neville does Yoga again as soon as he gets to practice: “The first thing I do when I’m at the training ground is a 30-minute yoga session with a couple of the other players. Yoga has 26 poses, and our teacher will concentrate on five or six tailored for the movements of football. I pay particular attention to my hips and my groin.”
9.30am – Warm before training consists of 10-25 minutes of cycling at about 80rpm followed by small speed hurdles for 20 minutes.
10.00am – 1.00pm – Soccer specific training for the next two hours followed by a protein shake and relaxation at lunch time. At 1.00pm all the players eat a health lunch of lean protein and vegetables and a salad.
2.00pm – He returns home at 2pm and sleeps for an hour and a half. This afternoon nap is essential for recovery.
The rest of the day is spent with family and continued feeding and protein shakes.