Do Footballers Drink Alcohol?

There are numerous press stories that shame football players for drinking alcohol, and these can skew our judgement around the relationship between footballers and alcohol.

Footballers drink alcohol for similar reasons as everybody else – to socialise with friends or family, or to help them relax when they are under pressure. There are also reasons why they don’t drink alcohol, such as club rules on match day or religious beliefs.

In this Elastico article, we outline the reasons why footballers do and don’t drink alcohol. If you’ve ever wondered whether footballers drink alcohol, everything you need to know is in this article. Read on to find out more.

Do Footballers Drink Alcohol?

Like non-athletes, there is a mix of footballers who drink and don’t drink alcohol on a regular basis. As high performing athletes, alcohol can negatively affect their performances, however some footballers may choose to drink in order to ease nerves or social with friends.

Reasons Why Footballers Don’t Drink Alcohol

On initial thinking, you’d assume that footballers don’t drink alcohol due to them being professional athletes. Alcohol is scientifically proven to reduce athletic performance, so it would be advisable for footballers to avoid it as much as they can.

Let’s explore some specific reasons why footballers avoid drinking alcohol.

To Improve Sporting Performance

As discussed, science has proved that drinking alcohol can negatively affect sporting performance. In theory, this means that if a footballer were to avoid drinking alcohol completely, they’re more likely to perform at a higher standard than footballers that do drink alcohol.

Many footballers will avoid drinking alcohol for this reason. Their performances are under scrutiny every time they take to the football pitch, so they’ll want to make sure they keep their bodies in the best shape possible, meaning no alcohol.

On top of this, every club has a team of fitness coaches and dieticians who will be recommending this course of action for the players. Their performances in matches and training are analysed by data. They also regularly have their weight and body fat calculated, so these professionals will be in a good position to know if a player is drinking too much.

Religion

When asking ‘Do footballers drink alcohol?’ we must consider that footballers don’t drink alcohol due to religious beliefs. Many footballers follow religious practices such as Islam, where drinking alcohol is forbidden. 

An example of a footballer who doesn’t drink alcohol because of religion is former Chelsea midfielder and French international, N’Golo Kante.

To Follow Club Rules

A further reason why footballers don’t drink alcohol is because of club rules. Football clubs will have strict rules when it comes to their players drinking alcohol. We can’t confirm what these rules are exactly, but it’s likely that they’ll be a rule that forbids players drinking alcohol on the day before a match.

If a player were to be caught breaking these rules, there would be consequences – a fine is the likely outcome, but it could escalate and stop the player from getting selected for the starting line-up. This all depends on the severity of the situation.

Discipline

Another key reason why footballers don’t drink alcohol is discipline. Professional athletes can be the most disciplined people you ever meet. This calibre of person isn’t going to let all their hard work on the training ground and gym go to waste by consuming too much alcohol.

To play at the highest level, you need to have elite mentality, and discipline is part of this mentality. This means that it’s probably quite easy for a professional football player to have a healthy relationship with alcohol.

Why Footballers Do Drink Alcohol

So why do footballers drink alcohol? Although there are many reasons why footballers don’t drink alcohol, that’s not to say that they ever don’t. Many footballers drink alcohol for different reasons.

To Socialise

The main reason why footballers drink alcohol is to socialise with friends and family. At the end of the day, footballers are people just like you and me, and one of the main reasons anybody drinks alcohol is to socialise.

Footballers have many opportunities to socialise due to their status and popularity. They also earn a lot of money, which always helps when it comes to socialising at bars and clubs, where alcohol is usually consumed.

The temptation for footballers to socialise and consume alcohol must be handled carefully. If they end up doing it too often, it’ll affect their sporting performance and could lead to their career going downhill.

To Relax

Another reason why footballers will drink alcohol is to relax. How many times have you heard a friend or colleague say they’ll have a glass of wine or a beer after work? This is the same for footballers. They might enjoy an alcoholic beverage after their match on the weekend or after a training session in the evening.

Football is one of the most high pressure sports on the planet, and players have been known to regularly drink alcohol to help them deal with that pressure. Alcohol can help them calm their nerves before match day.

A good example of this is England footballer Jamie Vardy, he has been known to drink a bottle of wine the night before a Premier League match.