5 little-known motivational techniques used by popular football players and managers

Every once in a while, players need an extra dose of motivation to perform. Sometimes, the same words used on matchdays fail to make an impact. So in a bid to shake things up, managers have resorted to all sorts of innovative means to drive their point home.And we have either read or heard about such bizarre incidents over the years. Also, it’s not just the managers; Lionel Messi too needed external motivation to score goals when he was young. We take a look at some notable incidents and practices over the years.

#1 Lionel Messi

The Barcelona superstar may need no motivation to find the back of the net nowadays. But as a small child, the Argentine was a pretty mischievous lad. In his stint with Newell’s Old Boys, Messi would only score goals when he was promised cookies by his youth coach.

That’s right, during Messi’s early days, his youth coach Carlos Marconi discovered Messi’s affinity for a kind of chocolate cookie named Alfajores. Soon, Messi was banging in goals left right and centre and Marconi found it difficult to keep track of the number of cookies he owed the Argentine forward.

So, in a bid to make matters easier for him, Marconi presented the forward with a new deal – 2 cookies per goal but the goal had to be a headed one.

The very next game after the deal had been struck, Messi weaved his way through his opponents and just as he was about to score, he stopped, flicked the ball into the air and headed the ball into the empty net. A jubilant Messi then turned to his coach and was all smiles as he signalled a ‘V’ indicating the two cookies he was now owed.

#2 Louis van Gaal

Louis van Gaal isn’t one to mince his words. And when words don’t suffice, the Dutchman isn’t afraid to strip naked to ensure that he drives the point home.

In a bid to justify his decision-making skills and show that he had the cajones to make tough calls, Van Gaal committed the outlandish act of dropping his trousers in front of the whole Bayern Munich dressing room.

Recalling the incident after a span of few years, Van Gaal said: “I once dropped my pants in front of the entire squad. I wanted to make clear: When I make a substitution, I don’t do so for my own ego, but for the sake of the team.

“I do everything for the team and I use everything I can to illustrate that. My voice, my mind, and everything else I’ve got. This shows the strength of our team spirit.”

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo once startled many when he declared that he owed his success to his friend Albert Fantrau’s unselfishness. In an interview, the Blancos superstar stated, “I have to thank my old friend Albert Fantrau for my success. We played together for the same team in the U-18 championship. When Sporting Lisbon‘s manager came to see us he said that: ‘Whoever scores more goals will join our academy!’”

Ronaldo continues: “We won that match 3-0. I scored the first goal, and then Albert scored the second with a great header. But the third goal was impressive for all of us. Albert was one-on-one against the goalkeeper, he skilfully went past the goalkeeper and I was running in front of him. All he had to do was to score, but he passed the ball to me and I scored the third goal, and I went to the Sporting Lisbon academy.

“After the match I met him and I asked him, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘You are better than me’.”

To verify Ronaldo’s claims, a few journalists paid a visit to Albert’s house whereupon they confirmed the story from Albert and came to know that he was now unemployed and that his career as a footballer ended soon after the match. However, the journalists couldn’t keep from noticing the lavish lifestyle Albert led and questioned the source of his wealth.

Albert proudly attributed the source of his wealth and lifestyle to his friend Ronaldo. With no credible sources other than posts on a few Facebook pages, this story is a little hard to digest. However, Ronaldo is a known humanitarian, often using his image to raise funds for the poor and it would be no surprise if his gracious act towards his friend indeed were true.

#4 Sir Alex Ferguson

In his trophy-laden spell with Manchester United which spanned a duration of 26 years, Sir Alex Ferguson would often point at the sky and ask his players to observe the waterfowl formation of the geese flying overhead. He would educate his players about the ‘V-formation’ and how the geese altered their positions at the apex over a 4,000-mile stretch so as to keep from tiring until they reached their destination.

The Scottish manager would draw comparisons by saying that even the strongest of us tire, that there is no shame in allowing someone else to lead for a while and that communication was the key to any endeavour. Finally, he would add: "Now if they can do that, you can give me 38 games to win the league."

Sometimes a few words of encouragement akin to the honking of the geese helped United maintain their course for a little while longer so that they could accomplish far more than what others thought they could.

The symbol of team work is a part of what makes Ferguson a great leader and why his influence stretches far beyond football, into other sports and the worlds of business, the military and politics.

#5 Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola is one innovative coach. He utilises video footage not only to analyse the opponents or his team’s weaknesses, he uses them as a motivational tool as well. That’s right, minutes before the 2009 Champion’s League final in Rome; Guardiola showed the Barcelona squad a video montage of the players along with select images taken from the movie Gladiator.

The video served its purpose of pumping up the players. Guardiola’s gladiators conquered Europe after beating Manchester United 3-1 in the 90 minutes of play which ensued.

A year later, Guardiola showed his players a video of the attempted rescue of the mountaineer Inaki Ochoa on the Himalayan mountain of Annapurna, minutes before they were to step on the pitch for the La Liga title-deciding match against Valladolid. An inspired Barcelona climbed another ladder of success on the day as they beat Valladolid to clinch the 2009/10 league title.

Guardiola has also been known to proclaim his love for certain players when they perform well in training. Case in point: Guardiola shouting ecstatically when Holger Badstuber performs well in a Bayern practise session.