European Football Championship 2008: Science versus nature

For two of this summer’s potential Castrol Index stars, the route to the top couldn’t have been more different…

In the 1980s, Ukrainian winger Andrei Kanchelskis was rejected for being too frail. His solution was to devise a regime to boost his physique. In one drill he would jump 100 times on each leg, then another 100 times on both. But as Lionel Messi demonstrates, these days a more scientific approach is advocated: the 20-year-old Barcelona and Argentina star might never have made it to the top had it not been for expensive treatment for a growth-hormone deficiency in his formative years.

Leaving no stone unturned

Manchester United’s 23-year-old Portuguese winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, has every trick in the book, a physique of which Hercules would be proud, and unbelievable speed and stamina. It’s a combination that’s likely to see Portugal’s no.17 storm up the CPI rankings – and help Luis Felipe Scolari’s men prosper at Euro 2008. Yet the midfielder can thank years of research and specialised training for his success.

Sporting Lisbon took a scientific look into the then 11-year-old’s development. “A study was carried out on the density of Ronaldo’s bones to estimate his growth rate,” explained Marques de Freitas, a Sporting representative. “Doctors wanted to know how tall he was going to be – it’s important for tall footballers not to play an excessive amount when they’re young. Sometimes he was kept out of the team because of the tests. The analysis predicted he would be 1.89m, and he’s not far off that.”

With the physical side sorted, Ronaldo then went about building an array of tricks, and learning when best to use them – aided by Manchester United’s skills coach, Rene Meulensteen. The Madeiran magician practices continually – in training, at home, and even (as one of his United team-mates revealed) when seated in the dressing room.

Date with destiny

World-class Italian stopper, Gianluigi Buffon, couldn’t have had a more contrasting career: the Carrara-born player stumbled into goalkeeping by accident after being asked to stand in (he’d started life as a striker), and quickly impressed. “Thankfully it worked out well,” he admitted to FourFourTwo magazine. “Four years later I was in Serie A.” But, until joining Parma in 1991, he received no coaching. “It was all instinct,” he said, modestly. “There was no process: it was reactions, if you like.”

Parma’s goalkeeping coach Ermes Fulgoni recognised Buffon was raw, but believed his size and bravery would be enough early on. And the stopper made swift progress. “After six months working with Fulgoni, he said I could make it in Serie A which gave me confidence,” revealed Buffon. Confidence now shared by those playing in front of him…

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