Why is padel the new favorite sport of footballers?

“In the past few weeks alone, there are at least a dozen fellow footballers who have called me about this.

This is how, in a catchphrase, Gaël Danic has just validated our report.

To know how to be interested in the practice of padel by soccer players.

It must be said that the former midfielder from Rennes, Valenciennes or Lyon is the typical example.

Just retired, he has just opened his own structure near Rennes at the age of 40, the Breizh Padel.

He thus follows in the footsteps of Anthony Lopes in Lyon (All In Padel) or Nicolas Douchez in Bordeaux (Big Padel).

But also very big names like Zinédine Zidane, who opened several pitches with great fanfare in the presence of the world number one in the discipline, Alejandro Galan, in his Z5 complex in Aix-en-Provence.

And what about Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has made a real business out of it in recent years with the “Padel Zenter” (Z like Zlatan obviously) and its six establishments.

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In short, you will have understood it, padel is THE fashionable sport among soccer players.

We don't even count the photos of Lionel Messi or Neymar, racket in hand, in recent months.

The latter has even installed two fields in his luxurious Brazilian villa.

Finally, only “Kyky” Mbappé is missing… Didier Deschamps, a big fan and avid practitioner of this sport, could quickly push him to hit the little yellow ball in the cage.

It would make a solid pair since, as a reminder, padel is played in doubles.

"I discovered this sport ten years ago thanks to my Lille friends Rio Mavuba, Florent Balmont and Nolan Roux", recalls Gaël Danic.

Former OGC Nice and PSG defender Eric Cubilier (42), "didn't like it at all at first", before going completely crazy about it to the point of "playing from morning to night" for several years, near Vence on the Côte d'Azur.

He still regularly meets former well-known figures from our Ligue 1 such as Didier Digard, Cédric Varrault or Lionel Letizi.

So why are footballers crazy about padel?

Tennis would have become "has been"?

Already, it should be remembered that historically, soccer players are great tennis fans (the reverse is also true).

“Basically, we like ball and racquet sports because we handle it rather well, points out Gaël Danic.

Then, it's accessible to all and fun, much more than tennis on this point.

“The playful dimension is the “maousse” argument in general for padel.

ZZ reminded him in

recently: “It is very easy to start playing.

You can play with an elderly person, with a child… It's a very accessible sport.

I am completely a fan!

For me, who is almost 50 years old [he is 49], being on a football pitch is more and more complicated.

So to play with friends, with family, padel is perfect.

“And today, padel courts very regularly replace “five” courts, as Gaël Danic has been doing for a year in Brittany.

Rennes: Very young retiree, former footballer Gaël Danic opens a padel room https://t.co/T1YCU7xMma via @ 20minutesRennes pic.twitter.com/lkkPveKsXs

– 20 Minutes Rennes (@20minutesrennes) June 9, 2021

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“Unlike tennis, there is no need for major technical bases, continues Eric Cubilier.

The hardest thing is to apprehend the glass.

In my region, all the tennis clubs now have their padel court.

Everyone gets into it, it's really madness.

“To the point of making his colleague from Rennes say that “padel completely replaces tennis today among soccer players”.

It remains to be seen whether the practice of this discipline brings anything to active footballers in their profession.

Gaël Danic enlightens us on this.

 “For the goalkeepers, this can really be beneficial because we will work a lot on the reflexes at the net, for example.

For the outfield players, we are more on a group day where we can quickly put on a bit of physical fitness and competition.

»

OL took advantage of the international break to practice padel

“In any case, it is compatible with the practice of football, assures “Zizou”.

Playing padel during the season is a good compromise to do a little physical session.

Rudi Garcia has already used it in the past.

Indeed, during a training camp at the start of the OM season in Portugal, the coach had organized with his staff a small tournament with the Marseille players.

During the last international break, the Lyonnais had a short session at their goalkeeper's house in March, 100m from Parc OL, for "endurance and cardio work" according to the club.

We could admire on social networks the forehand of Houssem Aouar and the backhand volley of Tanguy Ndombele.

In Bordeaux, it is not uncommon to see Girondins players disembark at Big Padel for a game.

In Rennes, Gaël Danic often sees all the training staff on his padel courts, a little less the professional players given their busy schedule.

Endurance and cardio work at the All In Padel @OLVallee for part of the group.

pic.twitter.com/IA6Si0fpXc

— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) March 24, 2022

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The advantage of padel, like tennis in the past, is that it is not banned at all by the clubs.

“Often in the contracts, risky sports [muscular and joint accidents] are formally prohibited, details a member of the Girondins de Bordeaux.

This is the case for sliding sports such as skiing and surfing, but also parachute jumping.

For example, we have a player in the squad who has crossed paths, and he is no longer allowed to go surfing, even if he loves it.

On the other hand, the padel, it does it without worry.

“Even if there are a lot of rotations, there is absolutely no contact like for example in futsal.

And the intensity is not necessarily very high up to a certain level.

Competition and aperitif, the winning mix

Of course, don't tell that to Eric Cubilier, winner of a P1000 padel.

Like other young retirees such as Sylvain Wiltord, he chained tournaments at one time and even touched the top level.

He also retains this competitive side which can very quickly attract footballers: "The advantage of padel is that it is enough to be four, regardless of the level, and directly you can score points and be very quickly in competition mode.

For an athlete, this is important.

You play to win right away, and then there's the tactical side like in football.

Because in the end, padel is really strategic.

For the record, we even had the right in Italy to the Lombardy derby, Inter-AC Milan with headliners Zambrotta, Albertini, Ventola,

Di Biagio or Vieri (who wore the colors of the two clubs but who represented Inter here).

So much for the field.

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But Eric Cubilier, winner of the Coupe de la Ligue 2003 with Monaco and the Coupe de France 2004 with PSG, also wants to talk about the off-pitch.

The atmosphere and the "team building" potential of the discipline.

For him, "there is not this egocentric side of the tennis player", of playing as a team.

And at the same time, "there is the chambering aspect", which many footballers love, since the opponents are generally friends or teammates.

“We also often meet at the end of the game to have a drink.

We must not neglect the aperitif-barbecue side that goes with padel”, says with a smile the one who has become a recruiter at OGC Nice for three years.

So, when will a football player retire to aim for a world padel crown on the new circuit launched this week in Doha by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi?

Sport

Rennes: Very young retiree, the former footballer Gaël Danic opens a padel room

Bordeaux

Bordeaux: We explain why padel is the tennis of tomorrow

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