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There has been a renewed focus on fitness regimes and dietary plans in modern-day football. Players remain at the peak of their powers for prolonged periods of time in the modern era. Football has also become a very demanding profession for players of late.
Since the Covid-19 break, footballers have hardly had a chance to catch a break. We had various continental tournaments like Euro 2020, Copa America 2021 and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the summer of 2021 on the back of a grueling season. The 2021-22 campaign started shortly after.
Suffice to say, the schedule is rigorous and it is difficult to keep up with it unless players take care of their fitness immaculately. While most players do enough to keep themselves fit and available over the length of a season, there are a few who go the extra mile.
This is reflected in their longevity and more evidently in their appearance. Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the fittest footballers in the world right now.
#5 Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Mason Mount is a tireless footballer. Since breaking onto the first-team setup at Chelsea under Frank Lampard, Mount has become a mainstay in their lineup. The attacking midfielder is a tenacious customer who busts his lungs in every single game he appears.
The Englishman played 54 matches across all competitions for Chelsea in the 2020-21 season. He made a further 15 appearances for the English national side last term. Mount has kicked on in similar fashion this campaign as well and has already made 34 appearances for the Blues in the ongoing season, being part of 15 goal involvements.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Cristiano Ronaldo works like a machine and it is widely known that he treats his body like a temple. He takes his diet very seriously and focuses on maintaining a very low body fat percentage throughout his illustrious career.
Ronaldo possesses a chiseled physique at the age of 37 has always been focused and determined to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That is the reason behind his longevity and also why he is still world-class at an age where most players would have already hung up their boots.
Ronaldo reportedly takes five 90-minute naps a day and does not believe in the eight-hour sleep cycle myth. He has made 29 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United this season and is their top-scorer with 15 goals.
#3 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah has one of the most ripped physiques in football right now. The Egyptian international has been one of the best players in the world this season and has been in sublime form for Liverpool.
Like Ronaldo, Salah has a very low body fat percentage and is very focused on maintaining a healthy diet which involves eating a lot of vegetables. Salah also puts in a lot of hours in the gym in addition to training sessions.
That is one of the reasons why Salah continues to be one of the quickest attackers in the world despite being 29 years old. He has missed just three games due to injury issues in the last four and a half seasons, one each at separate times.
He has made 30 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions and has played 12 games for Egypt so far in the 2021-22 season. Unsurprisingly, he is top of the goalscoring charts in the Premier League with 17 goals.
#2 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Bruno Fernandes is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world. The Manchester United man is built unlike most footballers these days. He is very thin and does not have a whole lot of muscle mass on his body.
Fernandes shows that a muscular physique is not directly reflective of someone's fitness. The Portuguese international last missed a game in the 2016-17 season after catching a cold. Yes, you read that right.
Speaking to United's official website last May, he said:
“For me, the most important [thing] is playing. When the coach wants me, it's important to know I'm ready to play every game, every minute.
“I will never say I'm [too] tired to play because this is my dream. I will never be tired to play.
“When I was a kid, I played maybe seven or eight hours a day. So, to play 90 minutes every three days or two days is not enough for me.”
He played as many as 72 games for both club and country in the 2020-21 season, the most for any player in Europe. In 25 Premier League games this season, the Portuguese has created the joint-highest big chances in the league (13).
#1 Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
Inaki Williams has not missed a La Liga match for Athletic Bilbao in six years. The Spanish international is a cult figure among the Athletic faithful and is the 'iron man' of the Spanish top-flight.
In October 2021, he set the record for the most consecutive La Liga appearances in the history of the competition. He is still going strong and has played 220 consecutive matches in La Liga.
