Image Credit: Tsutomu Takasu [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons (image edited)
Professional Athletes are constantly under pressure – both physically and mentally. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a soccer player, golfer, tennis pro or Formula 1 racing driver: you train every day, including strength and endurance training, as well as a strict nutrition plan in many sports. Such a career is also demanding from a psychological point of view – the pressure to perform and succeed is almost always present, whoever fails in the long run often loses his place in the squad, ends up on the bench, loses sponsors or does not get his contract extended.
Sure, international top athlete like Neymar and Lionel Messi, the big players of the NBA or NFL as well as tennis aces and well-known golf greats earn fortunes with their careers. However, their lives are no less stressful – which is why the appropriate private balance is important for them too. And often these athletes looked for a relative amazing hobbyto find relaxation, entertainment or even adrenaline kicks of a different kind.
Jimmy Graham on the road as a stunt pilot
Not everyone likes to take it easy in private. Professional athletes in particular often have extreme ambition, love to win and then seek the thrill elsewhere. American football player Jimmy Graham for example, is private as Stunt-Pilot traveling. The 36-year-old is currently playing for the Chicago Bears. At the age of 19 he completed his first flight in a sports aircraft and found his love for the hobby, which for him is “pure joy”.
During his first break from playing, when his colleagues were on vacation or partying wildly, he reported to one flight school to make his dream of flying come true. Although this pastime is considered rather daring, he also finds stillness, peace and relaxation in the high air. In a YouTube video published by his ex-team, the Seattle Seahawks, he talked about his extraordinary hobby and demonstrated his acrobatic skills.
Neymar feels comfortable on the water
Neymar may be one of the highest paid soccer players of all time and is now officially considered a soccer legend of Lionel Messi caliber. The Brazilian not only loves sport on the grass, but also the wet: he has been doing it in his free time for many years Wakeboardingbut he also gets adrenaline kicks from gambling: like many other athletes, he is known as an enthusiastic poker player.
He likes going to Casino or plays online poker, often even at various virtual poker tables simultaneously, as a result of his team’s victory Paris St. Germain at the 2018 French Football Championship, his first title win with the team. While his colleagues took part in the celebrations, he sat in front of the television and gambled at the same time, as the “Welt” reported at the time. In addition to casino games, he is also enthusiastic about eSports and especially about games Call of Duty und Grand Theft Autobut of course also for football games like Pro Evolution Soccer.
Messi, Kane, Özil and Co love eSports
Video games are a great way to pursue sport from the couch – particularly suitable for training breaks and also possible after injuries, whereby ambition is also addressed here and team spirit can be awakened. Lionel Messi is more enthusiastic FIFA player and thus remains true to his professional talent on the screen.
Mesut Ozil loves Fortnite and even founded his in 2018 own eSports team. The Fortnite hype also became kicker colleagues at the time Antoine Griezmann as well as Tottenham players Harry Kane and Dele Alli packed while gabriel jesus from Manchester City and Arthur Melo from FC Barcelona already played the game Furia live with Neymar on the streaming platform Twitch.
Ronaldo & Rooney are connected by gambling
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is more into classic gambling and likes to play bingo in his private life, football legend Wayne Rooney loves roulette and scandalous golfers Tiger Woods often makes a detour to Las Vegas to play blackjack and poker for high stakes.
Other professional athletes, on the other hand, take it much more calmly and risk-free: Kevin de Bruyne of Manchester City, for example passionate amateur cook and invites his colleagues to his home to conjure up a whole menu for them. ski racer Gilles Roulin feels the same way and prefers to spend a relaxed Friday evening with him Experimenting with new dishes, whereby he only prepares vegetarian dishes, as he eats no meat himself. According to his own statements, he especially loves Italian cuisine such as gnocchi, risotto and pasta.
Ullrich & Witsel are the winemakers among the athletes
Ex-cyclist Jan Ullrich enjoys far from cycling liked a glass of red wine, and even turned this passion into a second career pillar when he got one bought vineyard and started developing his own wine. The Belgian Axel Witselwho joined Atlético Madrid from Borussia Dortmund last year, also went under at the young age of 34 Winzer and owns his own vineyard.
In the village of Monthélie in Burgundy, he and a friend produce a Pinot Noir called Parcellaire 28, the 28 being his jersey number. Incidentally, the wine is also imported into German wine shops and can be bought there for around 34 euros per bottle.
Larry Fitzgerald loves to take pictures
If you have the necessary income, you may of course like to explore the world during your break from sports. football ace Larry Fitzgerald Long played for the Arizona Cardinals, but is just as ambitious in charitable projects, particularly in Africa, which is where he discovered another hobby.
He loves photography and is on the road with professional equipment to take impressive nature shots, but also to photograph sights in many cities around the world. Not only does he like to look at his own photo collection to reminisce, he also runs regular photo competitions on Facebook and his website to encourage other talent as well.
Boateng and the expensive cars
Jerome Boateng is also one of the enthusiastic ones collectors among professional athletes, where he cares less about fond memories and more about luxury: he owns over 650 sneakers, including particularly expensive vintage models and limited editions. This passion first began with black Chucks, which he bought in Berlin. Since then he has been buying around 40 pairs a year, finding them not only in designer shops but also often at flea markets.
Even more expensive than his love for shoes, however, is his enthusiasm for them luxury car – In 2018 he gifted himself one white Lamborghiniwhich cost half a million euros, but is by no means his only vehicle.
Theo Walcott writes children’s books
What is more unusual, however, is the private passion of the English international Theo Walcottthe writes children’s books, where he addresses football as a school sport and uses the story of a boy to bring team spirit and motivation closer to young readers. He has already brought a whole series of books onto the market, proving himself to be a consistent writer.
The Russian player Andrey Arshavin is known for his career at Arsenal FC and as a player for the Russia national team, but had a passion for fashion even before his on-field career studied fashion design. In the meantime he has turned this hobby into a profession and is considered one of the most famous fashion designers in Russia.
Rodrigo Blankenship lets off steam with Lego
A fun hobby is owning NFL players Rodrigo Blankenshipwho is currently signed to the Arizona Cardinals: In his free time, he enjoys building Lego, and has posted his kits on YouTube, having a huge collection of Star Wars figures that he built in an impressive rec room. There are so many collections still in their original packaging on his shelves that he hardly has to worry about boredom after the end of his career.
Not every professional athlete likes to be physically active all the time, many enjoy the time during training breaks to take it easy, protect the body and let their creativity run free. Video games and eSports are also among the athletes’ favorite pastimes – and they can easily pursue their sport virtually.
