SUMMARY
- To keep players in peak form, every English club, from the Premier League to League Two, has access to personal trainers, dieticians, and nutritionists.
- People rarely see obese soccer players because they have all the resources at their disposal to preserve and enhance their bodies.
In the present period, professional soccer players have nearly universally adopted six-packs and low body fat percentages. To keep players in peak form, every English club, from the Premier League to League Two, has access to personal trainers, dieticians, and nutritionists.
Not to mention in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Chinese Super League, it’s the same everywhere else in Europe. People rarely see obese soccer players because they have all the resources at their disposal to preserve and enhance their bodies. Twenty years ago, it wasn’t thought necessary to grow muscle. Today, professional clubs often encourage their members to work out in the gym.
The following list of the top 4 strongest soccer players shows how much they have and might bench press: these players likely spend as much time in the gym as they spend on the field.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo Workout Exercises all Men must do for Aesthetic Body. 👇💯
Exercise 1 pic.twitter.com/oXWJemoSMC
— Life Pad (@The_Life_Pad) October 7, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most powerful athletes in the sport and is expected to bench press about 100KG one reps max. He is quite quick and nimble for his size at 6’2 and 184 pounds. But he also performs a lot of intense resistance training and some weightlifting. His explosive strength is what stands out, even though his weightlifting prowess is undoubtedly above average.
3. Micah Richards
Since joining Aston Villa in 2015 and leaving Manchester City, Micah Richards’ career has come to an end. Still, he’s a beast who could outwork most soccer players in the weight room. He was one of the strongest players in the EPL back in his time.
Love our new centre half pairing of Ciaran Clark and Micah Richards. They love a tackle! #avfc pic.twitter.com/sDalIx2Bvh
— Jay White (@jaywhite_1) July 28, 2015
The 30-year-old gained notoriety for his stature and quickness during his tenure as a right-back at City. He weighs 83 kg. Given his natural strength and muscularity, Richards’ one-rep maximum has been in the range of 120 kg when supplemented with frequent gym sessions with Manchester City in the past.
2. Romelu Lukaku
Consider being able to do a bench press of 100 kg when you were just 15 years old. Romelu Lukaku says he was able to do just that. “I used to bench press 100kg at 15. I really bulked up that year,” the Belgian, whose style of play is all about outpacing opponents with strength and speed, remarked in 2016.
🇸🇦 Romelu Lukaku: “In the next two years I see Saudi Pro League becoming one of the best in the world, if not the best”.
“The clubs make a lot of efforts to bring the ‘big’ players here. They are improving a lot”.
“It could be the best competition in the world”. pic.twitter.com/PPBfoyjWGd
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 25, 2024
Given that Lukaku is now 12 years older and heavier than he was in the past, it seems reasonable to assume that he has a one-rep maximum of 135 kg.
1. Adebayo Akinfenwa
Adebayo Akinfenwa body size fits American football,wrong career #LfcvsAfc pic.twitter.com/StRWvIDyKJ
— Kwaku Asabere (@KwakuBorga) December 8, 2014
Sports enthusiasts have dubbed Akinfenwa “The Beast,” and it’s easy to tell how strong the attacker is by watching his workout videos. In addition, he has the Guinness World Record for strongest player on FIFA 19 with a terrifying strength rating of 97. Akinfenwa can therefore carry a significant amount of weight when bench pressing, and in 2015, he shared a video of his surpassing his own record of 190 kg.