5 footballers who never believed in training

#4 Socrates

Socrates of Brazil kicks the ball during the World Cup match against Argentina

Socrates was a highly influential figure on and off the pitch. With a bachelors degree in medicine and a keen interest in political affairs, he was certainly not the typical footballer. For him, football was a hobby. A delightful, engaging hobby, but a hobby nonetheless. He enjoyed playing in matches but loathed the idea of dedicating himself to training.

As Andrew Downie wrote in his biography Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher, Legend: “...[Socrates] loved to study and hated to train. He thought running laps of the pitch or doing star jumps was a waste of time and he couldn’t be bothered with it. All he cared about was having the ball at his feet.”

Socrates was also a heavy drinker and easily got through two packs of cigarettes a day. He was, in many ways, the quintessential 1970s public figure: talented and unchained.