So the game is finished and the cameras are off, however, what do footballers do after a match?
Do they just go back home like someone would when finishing a shift at work?
Or do they go off to do some other activity?
Being a footballer who has played for different clubs, I have picked up on many things that happen.
Some things which I have had to countless times over my career and still do every time I play for the local team.
Now while there is typically a match routine for most players, some have it completely different to others.
This is can be because of the level they play or just because of a routine they have.
So here I will be going over 6 interesting things a player will do once a ref call’s time.
Table of Contents
1. Shake Hands With Opposing Players
The first thing that footballers will do after a match, is shake hands with opposing players.
It’s done to show sportsmanship and respect to the other team for putting up a good game.
Players may also communicate with others saying ‘good game’ or ‘well played’ to indicate this too.
This is also something that happens before a game starts, as well as between coaches and referees.
Shaking hands and showing sportsmanship happens at all levels of the game.
However there are times when it doesn’t occur, and that is when there is tension and rivalry.
There can also be incidents in the game, that make players or coaches not want to shake hands.
Now while of course, this is bad sportsmanship, its normally happens in the heat of the moment, with people avoiding each other.
A good example would be Lionel Messi after his sides 2-2 draw with Girona.
After this football game, he refused to shake the referee’s hand after he held it out.
Instead, he argued about a VAR decision before walking away.
So while as you can see from the image below, most players will just shake hands, sometimes when emotions are high its the last thing players want to do.
2. Answer Questions In Post Match Interviews
Now more typically for the top leagues and competitions, certain players will need to do media interviews after a match.
While commentators don’t talk to players on the pitch, sometimes interviewers will go on to the pitch and do so.
They will bring a player aside put a sponsorship board behind them and ask them questions on the match.
Not all footballers will need to do interviews, however.
Most of the time its either the captain, the stars of the team or the man of the match that are typically asked.
In the UK, broadcasters such as BT and Sky will interview two players from one club about 5-10 minutes after a game.
This allows the broadcasters to go to an advert as well as the footballers to have a quick rest before answering some questions like shown in the picture above.
It all though depends on the broadcasters and how they do interviews because for some they can be done straight away while a player is still breathing heavy.
Along with post-match interviews, there is also press conferences that players sometimes have to go to, answer questions from the press.
3. Head To The Changing Rooms
When you see the players head down the tunnel after a football match, they are normally heading to the changing rooms.
That is only if they aren’t needed for interviews like spoken about above.
In the changing rooms, they will be getting ready to head off.
So they will take their kit off, get a shower and then get dressed into more comfortable clothes.
Also, like what happens at half-time, a manager will conduct a team talk, to give players an assessment of what he saw and give his feedback on the game.
Sometimes this can be as brief as a quick well done and I will see you next week.
However, if a team puts in a bad performance, then a coach may want to have a few words with the team before they dismiss everyone.
4. Warm Down
Another thing that all footballers must do after a game is cool down.
While a warm up, is high intensity and getting players ready for a game, a cool down is the complete opposite.
Footballers will do running drills where they run short distances at a very low intensity.
They will also perform a series of stretches, to stretch out the muscles.
This is all done with the aim to bring the heart rate and body temperation down.
Aswell as stop lactic acid building up which can cause injuries and niggles after matches.
5. Go Home To Family
For most footballers, once a game has finished its all about getting home and resting.
However as you would expect not every footballer does exactly the same thing once they are completely finished with a game.
Now If we are taking about professional footballers, it would depend on whereabouts they are playing and the time of the game.
If its a late game then they will probably head of home to get some rest.
Whereas if its an early kick off they might have other plans for later on that day.
Where things can change for footballers is if they are playing away from home, as they can’t go back to their house that day.
So in this common scenario for pros, they will head back out to the hotel that the club likely stayed at the night before the game, to then return home the following day.
A goalkeeper called Ben Foster who plays for premier league club Watford has recently become very popular on YouTube for sharing his match day experiences.
Of which he will show, what he does in preparation for games, where players stay on a night before the game and even the food they eat.
Here is one of his videos below which is worth a watch:
6. Socialising With Teammates
What has become common culture in lower levels where football isn’t taken as seriously is to go to have a drink with teammates or the opposition after a game.
Having played for a few clubs at a amateur level, this happens quite regurly, and for a lot of the players and coaches it is part of the match day.
Not every one does this however, and it isn’t common for semi-pro and professional players where diet and consumption of alcohol is taken more seriously.
There are exceptions where footballers will go out to celebrate after a match, but this is rare and happens when a team has a cup triumph.
Conclsuion
Well there you have it, that was my most on what do footballers do after a match.
As you can see for many players, once the referee blows the whistle there is still plenty that a pro has to do.
Do you play football yourself? If so what do you do after playing?
Let me know in the comments down below 🙂