I remember how excited I was back in 2003 when Liverpool signed Harry Kewell. Having seen him playing for Leeds, I finally thought that Liverpool had found the player we desperately needed at the time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Kewell spent most of the time injured, and ironically, his biggest contribution to Liverpool was getting injured in Istanbul, forcing Rafa to make changes that proved vital in Liverpool winning the Champions League.
Forward a few years later, another name that comes to mind is Fabio Aurelio. The Brazilian definitely have class, we all remember his free kick against Manchester United (when beat them 4-1) however he was also plagued with injuries. You have to feel for him, each time he got a call up for the Brazilian squad he had to miss out due to some injury. He even managed to get himself injured playing in his garden during his holiday.
And then there is the case of Michael Owen who was in good health during his tenure at Liverpool. However, after he left Liverpool he was plagued by injuries and sitting on the bench became his most active position.
Of course, the one we all talk about now is Daniel Sturridge, the Liverpool striker has now been stuck in an injury time warp ever since his brilliant first full season at Liverpool. Everytime it seems that he is on the way back he gets injured again. Daniel has blamed it on genes but it is just genes? Are genes really the culprit? Could nutrition have something to do with it? I am not sure what he eats but he did post this last year on his Instagram.
While I must admit it looks delicious I don’t think it is very healthy, it was around Christmas time so maybe we should give him a break there.
Social Media has given us a window of what players do it is their free time and although some might argue that on their free time they can do whatever they want, I believe that a line has to be drawn somewhere. They are professional athletes and their bodies need to be in optimal shape. They need to take care of their bodies by getting the proper exercise, proper sleep, and proper nutrition. Another former Liverpool player who also seemed to be injured who isn’t mentioned above is Andy Carroll, and we all know how much he loved the brew and partying.
I am not a health expert, however, I can tell you from my experience that good nutrition has changed my life. At 46, I am healthier than I was at 26, and wish I can turn back the clock and avoid all the junk I put in my body when I was younger. Modern nutrition technology has made it very easy for athletes to get the right nutrition supplements based on their needs. From what I have learnt personally from running is that bulking up muscles around my knee has helped me overcome a knee injury. Of course I had to eat food high in protein but sometimes this wasn’t enough. You can get different varieties of protein powder from Supps R Us and from other fine online shops.
So, one can understand why fans get upset at players who get injured, after all, sometimes it could be the players’ behaviour and bad lifestyles habits, and not just bad luck or bad genes that contribute to these recurring injuries.