Pregame rituals are a given in any sport, especially football. These superstitions, and in some cases obsessions, have given players the boost needed to up their game and dominate the competition. From lucky socks and underwear to the order in which they put on clothes, there are some serious superstitions out there that need to be followed to ensure calm and order. Some fans even have their own superstitions when their favourite teams are playing or when placing bets at online casinos in Singapore. But that’s a conversation for another day.

Now, what you may be wondering is if some of the top football players have their own rituals, and the truth is, they do. We’ll take a look at a few of them below.

Football Superstitions You Didn’t Know

Cristiano Ronaldo

He’s one of the greatest players of all time, but what is his secret to success? Sure, he always says “hard work”, but is there something more? The simple answer is yes. On his journey to the top, he has developed a few rituals to ensure that he leads his team to victory. To start with, he needs to be the first to get off the plane, his right foot needs to touch the pitch first and he needs to stand in the same position when taking a free-kick.

Johan Cruyff

The Dutch football legend may have been a brilliant player, but many thought that he was a bit bonkers. Before the kick-off of each game, he would slap goalkeeper Gert Bals on the belly, and then walk to the opposite side of the field and spit his gum towards the goal post. In 1969 during the 1969 European Cup final, Cruyff forgot to chew gum and as a result, couldn’t spit it out on the field. The team ended up losing – coincidence?

Laurent Blanc

As part of his pregame ritual, the Frenchman would kiss the team goalkeeper, Fabien Barthez’s, head. As the team continued to win, more and more teammates would start kissing his head too. In addition to this, he would also listen to Gloria Gaynor’s song “I Will Survive” before each game. He even gave each teammate a designated seat on the bus in an attempt to secure a win.

Jackie Stamps

Derby County was forced to evict a group of gypsies when they moved to a new stadium in 1895. The gypsies cursed the team out of anger and the results of this alleged curse showed. To end the losing streak, it is believed that stamps paid a gypsy to remove the curse, and the team ended up winning their first FA Cup.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Also Known As Pele

Yes, that’s correct. One of the greatest footballers of all time had a pregame ritual. His game took a knock and he couldn’t understand until he remembered that he had given a fan his jersey. This escalated to the point where an investigator was hired to track down the missing jersey. It was eventually found, and his performance improved. Little did he know that it wasn’t the same jersey.

Do You Have A Superstition?

These are a few of some of the most famous superstitions, and there’s probably a whole lot more out there waiting to be discovered. The only question left to ask, is what are yours?