The ideal weight of a professional footballer and its importance

Wich is the ideal weight for a professional footballer? The weight and body image of a professional footballer are very important factors not only for the practice of football but also for securing advertising contracts. Athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo are ambassadors for leading brands due to their exceptional contribution to football and the physical work they do daily.

The physical fitness of every athlete is important for their performance. However, weighing oneself frequently can be harmful not only for athletes but for anyone. This is supported by Eliana Pérez, head of the Personal Care segment at Superguapas. «Weighing oneself constantly is associated with eating disorders, problems that affect 7 out of 1,000 women and 1 out of 1,000 men. Bulimia and anorexia are diseases that begin to manifest themselves during adolescence and have negative consequences on people’s quality of life,» says the specialist.

The importance of the ideal weight of a professional footballer

In the case of footballers, they follow a strict diet to maintain good physical shape. Additionally, training allows the body to remain strong to withstand the rigor of training and high competition. Regarding the ideal weight, there are conflicting opinions about the weight elite footballers should have.

In her book «The Sports Nutrition Guide,» nutritionist Nancy Clark explains that every body is different and that only nature can determine the ideal weight for each person. The rules are, therefore, a general method to make an approximate estimate of the healthy weight range that every footballer should have. The estimated margin is 10% based on muscle and body structure.

Regarding men, the specialist maintains that the rule indicates that the ideal weight is 48 kilograms for the first 1.52 meters of height and 2.7 kg for every additional 2.5 centimeters. Therefore, a man 1.80 m tall should weigh about 75.5 kg, with a range of 68 kg minimum if he has a lean build and 83 kg maximum if he has pronounced muscle mass.

What is the ideal weight for women?

Regarding women, the ideal weight is 45 kilograms for the first 1.52 meters of height and 2.3 kg for every additional 2.5 centimeters. For example, a woman 1.70 m tall should weigh about 59 kg, with a range of 53 kg minimum if she has a lean build and 65 kg maximum if she has greater muscle mass.

The specialist also emphasizes that having a weight below the minimum corresponding to one’s height could affect performance on the field. Modern football is not a sport where only skill is sufficient, but strength, endurance, and physical power are also required.