Share the post "Are Soccer Players Strong? (Professional Lift Revealed)"
As a soccer player do you need to be strong? What are the physical attributes that are needed to compete with your best ability? Let’s take a look at what makes the best soccer players.
There are many ways that one can determine strength. Commonly how much can you bench press? There are a number of factors that go towards strength.
Strong players usually play in positions where they can be effective. Center back are generally tall and strong to be able to deal with strong attackers.
Are Soccer Players Strong?
Soccer players are strong in all aspects of their physique. You need to be strong in the lower and upper body to compete at the highest level. Both tall and small players can compete.
The height of center backs at their shortest is 6 feet tall, whereas attackers can be short or tall depending on their attributes.
Center backs are required to deal with crosses coming in from the wing and cannot be beaten easily in the air. If a player is too bulky with muscles, they won’t have the flexibility that is required to turn quickly.
Strengths of A Soccer Player Are;
- Strength
- Stamina
- Speed
- Skills
- Agility
A combination of muscles throughout the body is required to compete at the highest level.
Strongest Soccer Players On FIFA
One of the best games on the Xbox and PlayStation is soccer’s FIFA. They have some incredible stats on there for each player and team. But do these stats stack up?
Among the stats, they have the strength of the soccer players. The Premier League has created a great video on this – comparing the strength stats on FIFA with some real clips.
Here are the top 10 soccer players for strength on FIFA;
| Player | Country | Team | Position | Strength |
| Akinfenwa | England | Wycombe Wanderers | ST | 97 |
| Dike | USA | Orlando City | ST | 96 |
| Vukotić | Serbia | Waasland-Beveren | CB | 95 |
| Lukaku | Belgium | Chelsea | ST | 95 |
| Méndez | Uruguay | Newell’s Old Boys | RB | 95 |
| Oularé | Belgium | Barnsley | ST | 94 |
| Petrášek | Czech Republic | Raków Częstochowa | CB | 94 |
| Maierhofer | Austria | Würzburger Kickers | ST | 94 |
| Carvalho | Uruguay | Boston River | CB | 94 |
| Ballas | Germany | FC Erzgebirge Aue | CB | 94 |
Let’s take a look at the strongest soccer player in the world, Akinfenwa;
There’s another great video on the strongest soccer players in the EPL. You’ll need to click the link to head over to YouTube to watch this one. (The EPL doesn’t let people embed videos – boo!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG62H76mdTs
Who Are the Strongest Soccer Players?
One of the strongest soccer players is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, let’s take a look at his stats;
- Height in Feet: 6′ 5”
- Weight in Pounds: 209 pounds
- Chest Size: 39 inches
- Black-belt in taekwondo
Zlatan is one tough cookie! He has the physical attributes and more importantly to be strong you need to be aggressive. Take a look at the video to see some of the strongest players in the world of soccer.
Of course, the covering image is Photoshopped. The video shows that there are some very strong players in the world of soccer. But does strength work for all types of players?
One of my favorite players was Roy Keane, who played for Manchester United. He’s only 5′ 10″ tall, but he makes up for it in his aggression and determination.
The rules have changed a bit since he played, now he would not stay on the field for long! Take a look at how tough he was (and naughty!).
How Strong Should a Soccer Player Be + What To Do?
Soccer players are often in 50-50 dual with another player. If a player does not have the upper body strength they’ll lose possession. All professional players go to the gym to work out their upper bodies.
The core muscles of a person can be the most effective. Those players that have a strong back will often win duals and be flexible when needed to turn,
Lower Body Strength Required for A Soccer Player
The legs are key parts of player physic. There is a lot of running to be done on the field and then there is the strength needed to be able to hit the ball with power.
Short sprints are often required for a player. These sprints build up the quad muscles in the legs.
Take a look at the workouts of the professional players in the gym.
Strength and Agility Required for a Soccer Player
Overall a soccer player needs to be strong to be able to compete. The variety of demands needed on the soccer field varies a great deal. Soccer players need to be strong in all aspects of strength.
If a boxer were to take to the field, they would be outdone by the players. Likewise, if a soccer player were to take to the ring, they would see the canvas .
Soccer players are not the strongest in terms of ‘pound per pound’. But it depends on how it’s measured. A soccer player needs to be fit and strong in all aspects of the game.
The beauty of soccer is that you don’t need to be 200 pounds and 6′ 5″ tall to compete. Some of the greatest players have been below the average height. It’s a game that is suited to all physiques.
It does not take for a football player to be tall, to be strong. There are many aspects to the game. Roy Keane was strong mentally to be able to stand up against other players that were 6′ 5″ tall.
Do soccer players lift weight every day?
Normally a professional soccer player will lift weights 3 times per week. Recovery is needed for the day in between so they don’t suffer burnout in the long season.
Does playing soccer give you strong abs?
Soccer players take part in aerobic exercises which help with their abs along with weight training. The main training is cardiovascular, which will build the core abs.
How much do soccer players lift?
Some soccer players can lift up to 400 pounds in a deadlift weight. But muscle bulk is difficult to carry on the field.
How for does a soccer player run?
Soccer players cover a lot of ground over 90 minutes. The average distance a player covers is 10km/6.2 miles. To cover this distance, it’s easier to do it on a long-distance.
Soccer players have to do a lot an intense sprinting. Stopping and starting, takes the energy out of the legs.
For any of the heavier players, their distance covered will be a lot shorter than most. The surface that the player runs on also has an effect.
The MLS field is mostly artificial turf, which is easier to run on than grass which is used in Europe. When the soil is soaked from the rain, it takes more toil on the legs.
The Tallest Soccer Players
Strong people are associated with their body build and height. Here in this chart, there are the tallest players from the World Cup in Russia 2018;
The average height of a man in the United States is 175 cm tall. The figures above are of the top ten and now let’s look at the shortest teams on average;
The bottom five teams in the graph are above the height of the average American. These figures suggest that soccer players are most likely to be above average height.
Being short as a soccer player
One of the greatest players that are playing today and that has ever played is Linoel Messi. He stands 170 cm tall. He’s strong enough to able to battle against the tallest players. So strong players can be small.
Share the post "Are Soccer Players Strong? (Professional Lift Revealed)"
Joel is a seasoned soccer journalist and analyst with many years of experience in the field. Joel specializes in game analysis, player profiles, transfer news, and has a keen eye for the tactical nuances of the game. He played at various levels in the game and coached teams - he is happy to share his insight with you.
