Inspiring

Whether we like it or not, time passes by for everyone — even for the greatest footballer of the XXI century, Lionel Messi. Being aware of this, he's changed his playing style, adapted to new tactics, new rivals, and mostly to his own physical changes. 

Johan Cruyff, the most famous of all atheist footballers, once explained his beliefs succinctly.

“I don’t believe in God,” Cruyff said. “In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before a game. If it worked, every game would end in a tie.”

And yet, soccer, and sports in general, is dominated by religious athletes, whether they're crossing him or herself before entering the field of play, praying after a touchdown or pointing to the sky following a match.

His tattoos sit on the surface, superficial representations of the inner thoughts of a man praised and vilified in near equal measure. 

For the outside world, the tattoos are the only insight into the mind of someone who has reached the pinnacle of his craft by the age of 26. 

For the world of “Inked,” they are so much more.

Brazil plays the second match of its post-World Cup tour on Tuesday after recording a solid 2-0 win over the USMNT in New Jersey last Friday. The Seleção will be looking to turn on the style against El Salvador — ranked 72nd in the FIFA World Rankings — at FedExField in Landover, Maryland after encountering an organized American side that was anchored by the stellar play of center back Matt Miazga.

To be a professional athlete, it takes a lot more than just talent. Obviously talent is a big help, but it will only take you so far. This is where training becomes vitally important. Footballers train for hours a day both on the field and in the gym. But how do soccer players train?

It can differ between clubs, but across almost all clubs there are some consistent themes. Players will do plenty of training exercises on the field to begin a session. It could be working out a pattern of play before a game, working on set-pieces, doing a shooting drill or a small-sided game. 

If you follow college football, you’ve probably heard of 37-year-old University of Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck. He rose to prominence at Western Michigan after leading the unfancied program to a 13-1 record in 2016 and a trip to the Cotton Bowl, but it was his approach to coaching (hyper energy, hyper millennial-approved, hyper “elite”) that won him both fans and detractors in equal measure.