We may have heard about quite a few runners combining their marathon training with small stints of football, but have you ever wondered about which football stars would actually be able to complete the entire 42 kilometre stretch of a marathon. There are a few players who do miles of running during the span of a 90-minute game.
They not only do the required running but also walk, jog, sprint and back off; showcasing all the required skills required for a marathon!
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Sportskeeda looks at the 5 best footballers who could be potential marathon runners.
#5 Cesar Azpilicueta
Azpilicueta is probably the most hard-working player in the Chelsea team, and such is his consistency that he has been a rock in the Blues’ backline in the current Premier League season. The Spanish international may be lacking in certain areas of technical ability but he more than makes up for it with his speed, stamina and tirelessness.
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In fact, in a recent friendly against England at Wembley, Azpilicueta even managed to out-run speedster Theo Walcott, and thus one can estimate his abilities with this feat. Azpilicueta can no doubt be a great long distance runner for his possesses most of the basic qualities required by the track athletes.
#4 Dani Alves
The former Barcelona full-back is unlike other players in his position as he completes more passes than other players because he’s always on the move. Alves is one player who is getting forward irrespective of the fact whether he has the ball at his feet or not in order to support and assist in his team’s attack.
(Video Courtesy: MM Football YouTube Channel)
The Brazilian international also lends width when his team is on the offensive with his darting runs across the field capable of covering the entire right flank all by himself.
Alves’ combination of speed and stamina means that he is almost impossible for any opposition player to track for the entire duration of 90 minutes, which not only makes him lethal and dangerous to play against but also a great choice for a marathon.
#3 James Milner
The Liverpool man is nothing short of a workhorse on the football field. A capable left-back at Liverpool, he ran an average of 11.4 kilometres in every match last season, wherein a major portion of the running included off-the-ball movement, which is a skill that is rated higher than work rate which involves tracking back and closing down defenders.
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Renowned for his industrious style of play, Milner covers more ground than most other players in the Premier League and hence would be an ideal choice for long distance running. Marathon running requires not only strength and determination but an undying spirit until the fag end of the race.
#2 Blaise Matuidi
The French international is regarded as a vital cog in the machine not only for his national team but also his club Paris Saint-Germain. This primarily stems from the fact that his stamina and recovery levels are so impeccable that he can break into numerous repeated, high-intensity sprints over the course of the 90 minutes.
The PSG player is often chasing down a rival even during injury time, when player stamina levels are at its lowest, or running a 20-yard distance in record speed. Matuidi has earned several nicknames over the course of his career – “Marathon Man”, “The Octopus” and “The Chewing gum”, are a few of them.
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When asked which nickname he preferred, the Frenchman had this to say: “Marathon man! It means the people see that I'm always giving it 100 per cent on the pitch. I have always given everything on the field, a bit like a marathon runner. They are people that give every last ounce. That suits me fine."
#1 N'Golo Kante
One of the architects of Leicester City’s Premier League title win last season, N’Golo Kante is known for his relentless running during matches! His teammates call him “The Rash” for his persistent aggression and the fact that he never stops running. In fact even now when Kante plays for Chelsea, one can be assured that he will cover every inch of the field for his team.
His former manager at Leicester, Claudio Ranieri, suspects – in jest, of course – that Kante has a set of batteries in his shorts, “This player Kante, he was running so hard (in training) that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts,” said the Italian manager.
(Video Courtesy: KingS HD YouTube Channel)
However, the key aspect that would make him an ideal marathon runner is the fact that his energy rises to newer levels during the dying stages of a match, akin to a long distance runner during the final stretch of the race track.
Such is his prowess that a meme related to him running the London Marathon just as a warm-up before a match went viral on social media last year.
