Pedri He has gone from collecting accolades to collecting injuries. Her last three seasons are peppered with muscular setbacks, some of them severe. A sequence of physical problems that give the warning voice on the consequences of early exposure in elite football. Pedri, like many other cases in recent times, was a infant prodigy, but that didn’t make him stop being a child. His extraordinary talent opens the door wide to the highest level, but another thing is if his teenage bodies They are prepared for the ‘battles’ that are waged relentlessly in elite football that has nothing to do with the category that would correspond to them due to their age: very high intensity and physical demand, exhausting schedules, stress, pressure… Their bodies support authentic ‘physical earthquakes’ in every training session and in every game.
“We are losing Pedri”
Pedri he knocked down the door in the Barça and in the selection with 17 years in the 20-21 season. He played 52 out of 56 games with Barça (93%) and 21 out of 24 with the different national teams (87%), to a total of 73! matches. His season started in July 2020 and in August 2021 he was still competing (with the Olympic team at the Games). Two weeks later he was already competing again with the Barça at the start of a new season. September 14 His ordeal with injuries would begin… which are now nine in the last three campaigns after the one suffered on Sunday in San Mamés.
More ‘Stones’
The news passes through Pedribut the young Barça genius is one more in the extensive list of ‘child prodigies’ who have been punished for injuries after a premature appearance in elite football. Ansu Fati (debut at 16 years old: 11 injuries and 613 days out), Gavi (debut at 17 years old: 4 injuries and 240 days out), Barrenetxea (debut at 16 years old: 11 injuries and 444 days out), Laughs (18 years: 3 injuries and 160 days of absence), Jeremy Pino (debut at 17 years old: 8 injuries and 374 days out), Bucket (debut at 18 years old: 5 injuries and 261 days out)… These are the most current cases, but others are also remembered, such as those of Jesse and Bojan, the latter accusing mental health problems due to pressure and demands.
This was Gavi’s injury, step by step
All of this gives rise to a flood of questions: What risks are taken when exposing 16-17 year olds to elite football? Is today’s football (stressful, full of matches and extremely high physical intensity) dangerous for ‘children’? Are their bodies prepared to respond to such physical demands? Can it be said that the repeated and sometimes serious injuries of these ‘children’ are related to the fact that they are not physically trained? Could this premature demand affect them in the future? Can starting at this level of demand so early shorten their careers? What consequences can these injuries have at your age? Should they have a special plan or special treatment to take care of their physique?
San Martín, former physical trainer of Madrid and the white quarry: “In many cases their bodies cannot withstand such brutal efforts”
“The high intensity in today’s elite football (you run a lot, between 10 and 13 kilometers per game, and very fast, at speeds of 36-37 km/hour) directly affects these very young players, who in many cases They do not have physiques that can withstand the brutal efforts of a sport like football, the most demanding of all at the joint and muscular level.. Being so young, their cardiovascular system is not yet adapted to playing many games in a row and supporting the average heart rate of the games that high competition demands (170-172 beats per minute and with only 15-20 seconds of recovery between efforts). . Nor is their muscles capable of absorbing with guarantees and without risk of injury braking, jumping, acceleration, changes of direction with and without the ball… And they don’t do it because they simply haven’t had enough time to develop it,” he says. José Luis San Martínformer physical trainer for Real Madrid and also for the white youth team.
If we want to protect the technical talent of very young players, we must not rush their appearance in the elite and put them to play prematurely without first completing their physical training.
“If we want to protect the technical talent of very young players there is no need to rush his appearance in the elite and putting them to play prematurely without first completing their physical training. Their participation must also be controlled. If we want kids to enjoy playing football, we must protect their physical and mental health. Few jokes with this,” says San Martín.
Pedro Luis Ripoll, traumatologist: “It is certain that the high level of demand and the high number of matches affects their joints and shortens their careers”
Dr Ripoll deciphers the ‘infallible’ drawer test in MARCA
The medical view on this matter is similar. The prestigious traumatologist Pedro Luis Ripollfrom Ripoll and De Prado, FIFA Center of Excellence, raises the state of alert in this regard: “The fundamental risks of ‘top’ players of these ages are joint injuries that affect the growth cartilage. Joint injuries while keeping the growth plate open. These growth lines condition and limit the surgical techniques that we can perform in serious knee injuries, for example. More especially in men than in women. Bone tearing due to traction of a tendon coming from a muscle is also especially significant.. In young people, sometimes the tendon is not ruptured, but rather the bone to which it is anchored is torn off. This leads to injuries that are more difficult to resolve.”
The fundamental risks of top players of these ages are joint injuries that affect the growth cartilage.
“It is evident that the bodies of these athletes at these ages are not prepared, they are not mature to play matches every three days at the highest level, which is what the big teams demand. And it is striking that in the majority of the clubs they do not do specific training for them. It is certain that the high level of demand and the high number of matches affects their joints and shortens their careers.. In another order of things, there are other kids far from the highest level who are forced to play on surfaces that are not always suitable for the healthy practice of football,” he explains. Repoll.
Director of Ripoll and De Prado Nor does he forget the mental section. “It’s especially dangerous from a mental health point of view. We create idols at a very early age and, in a large percentage, at the age of 20 they are failures in football and in life.. The environments of these kids are responsible for this, as they pressure them to achieve a victory that in many cases is not within their reach. “This issue of mental health is very important and must be cared for and monitored.”
2024-03-04 22:22:14
#cases #bodies #resist #brutal #efforts
