Goalkeeper
“The need for focus and concentration, coupled with explosive movements, agility and flexibility mean a keeper would benefit from a couple of specific supplements in their diet," says Herbalife nutritionist Dana Ryan, who has worked with LA Galaxy, Flamengo and a host of other clubs. "Creatine – available in small quantities in foods like red meat – when taken as a powder supplement (3-5g a day) will aid your body’s phosphocreatine energy systems, helping to improve muscular strength and short-term power. Also caffeine taken about 30 minutes before a match or training will help with mental focus.”
Defender
“Strength and power are very important across the back four and while natural food sources such as meat, cheese and eggs from a balanced diet are essential for muscle development, supplementing with additional protein (whey) will help these players. The mechanical load placed upon a defender’s body during football (tackling, heading and sprinting especially) means you need to consume additional protein to rebuild damaged muscle fibres.” Intake recommendations suggest around 1.4-1.6 g of protein per kilo of your body weight - so for a 75 kg player this would be 105-120g a day, spread out to include 25-30g in each meal."
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