Barcelona's secret weapon

Footballers have already got TV cameras, GPS monitors and flashing smartphones tracking their every move - and now even their clothes are being designed to ensure they stay on the straight and narrow.

Barcelona’s players have started to wear hi-tech cycling shorts, which measure how hard the quadriceps and hamstrings are working in each leg, to detect any muscle imbalance.

Janne Plyvas, CEO of Finnish company Myontec, the Finnish company who manufacture the shorts – explains to FFT: “Overuse injuries, like thigh or hamstring strains can happen if a player is favouring one leg more than the other. By correcting their running style, they could reduce the risk of more injuries.”

The next generation cycling shorts use electromyography (EMG) technology to transfer signals from the muscles. They also capture heart rate and cadence – how many strides a player makes in a certain time period.

Even better, live data can be sent to a player’s smartphone using Myontec’s iPhone and Android apps, so the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez can peruse their performance on the go.

If you are keen on getting your hands (or legs) on a pair of these swish shorts, they are going to cost you a whopping £700. Hey, Neymar, fancy lending us yours?