Superstitious Football Players: What Do They Believe In?

From Casillas to Ronaldo: who are the most superstitious football players ever? Like many other professions, football has its own omens and rituals some players follow in order to bring fortune on their side. Read what these 5 players usually believe in and how they cope with bad luck.

Various omens are not something rare even in the 21st century as many people still believe in signs of destiny. Read about popular superstitions among gamblers too, as now we will rank the weirdest beliefs that are widespread among top football players. Like music artists, business owners, or gamblers, sportsmen also have some superstitions. Some of them believe that passing salt on a lunchtime before the match brings bad luck. The others consider wearing underpants inside out as leading to a loss. What else can affect winning chances, according to popular footballers’ opinions? Let’s see.

Pele is one of the most superstitious football players

Sometimes, even legends cannot cope with superstitions, and Pele is living proof of this fact. Fans of this former Brazilian footballer should have definitely heard the story about a game shirt, so if you are in the dark, read it now.

Once upon a time, Pele gave his shirt to a random fan after a match. Then, the legendary player faced a row of difficulties in the following matches and started getting out of his best shape. Pele thought that the shirt was his lucky charm and asked his friend to find that fan and get the clothing back. The shirt was returned to Pele in a week and he immediately recovered from failed performances.

The most interesting part of this story is that the original Pele’s shirt was never back to him. His friend failed to find the fan who got the shirt from Pele and brought the random one to the player. However, Pele believed in jinxing things so much that thinking about his lucky shirt being back made him one of the best players in the world. And the most superstitious football players too.

Steven Gerrard and his famous ritual

Steven Gerrard is on the list of superstitious football players too. A former football star spent most of his career playing for Liverpool. A 40-years old English player has been staying with the club for 17 years, so it is unsurprising that he started reading some omens. Gerrard has developed some special “lucky” rituals, which helped him to perform successfully.

The most famous ritual he has ever done is touching the “This is Anfield” sign in his home stadium in Liverpool. Gerrard did it every time before entering the field. Even when the new sign replaced the old one, the player kept the older version of it for luck. By the way, Gerrard’s former club is likely to win the EPL this year, while his home country aims for taking the 2020 Euro cup. Bet on both Liverpool and England with the best odds at 1xBet Sportsbook.

Romeo Anconetani’s weird beliefs

Romeo Anconetani was one of the most superstitious football players ever. A former AC Pisa player, manager, and president believed that… salt could affect winning chances! He often threw salt right on the field thinking that it would help the club of his life to win. The most memorable Anconetani’s salt ritual took place during the match against Cesena. At the height of the game, the president walked onto the field and started sprinkling all field corners with salt. In general, he wasted almost 25 kg of salt that day.

Anconetani is not the only player who had superstitious beliefs about salt. Another Italian footballer and coach, Roberto Mancini, believes that passing salt during lunch is bad luck. Therefore, he never accepts a salt cellar from one’s hands.

Ronaldo is among superstitious football players

As one of the most popular football players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo is always followed by fans and paparazzi. After years of watching Ronaldo’s steps, they noticed that the Portuguese forward had developed certain habits that must be influenced by superstitions.

There are two major rituals Ronaldo usually does to keep his football career on the current heights. The first one is deplaning first when traveling by plane with a team. This habit is rumored to bring Ronaldo luck and make him stay on top. The other popular ritual is stepping on the field with the right foot first to get the game and himself in the mood.

According to Ronaldo’s stats, these rituals seem to be useful (obviously, together with talent and hard work). The player has won lots of trophies during his career, including five UCL titles and 5 Ballon d’Or awards. Online sportsbooks in Portugal like 1xBet Sportsbook have bets on Ronaldo’s further achievements, so feel free to check them.

Iker Casillas’s funny superstitions 

The superstitious football players list also includes Spanish star, Iker Casillas. The former Ronaldo’s teammate and one of the best keepers in the world have developed many omens and superstitions during his long career. Therefore, he was doing some so-called rituals he believed was attracting Lady Luck. One of them was wearing socks inside out, the other – cutting the sleeves of his game shirt. The last one survived until the very end of Iker’s football career that ended in 2020. These superstitions should have really helped him as they did for Ronaldo. Casillas received many individual and club awards and entered history as one of the best goalkeepers ever. 

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