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Kylian Mbappe wearing a “COSMED K5” mask.
Football – Kylian Mbappe is wearing a mask, but not the mask you might imagine. After having to wear a mask during Euro 2024 after suffering a broken nose, the French star covered his face again, but this time to check his physical performance.
At the dawn of the 2024-25 season, Antonio Pintos, Real Madrid's physical coach, prepared a series of tests, essential components of his method, which has sometimes been criticized. So the Merengues must train with a so-called mask “Cosmed K5”which collects important data on players' fitness.
Concretely, this advanced device measures the amount of oxygen inhaled and carbon dioxide exhaled by players during exercise, which is essential information to assess their physical condition.
According to the Italian physical trainer who worked at Chelsea, Monaco or Juventus Turin, this data makes it possible to customize training programs. “Using software, we can determine whether a player needs more work over long distances, whether over short distances, or whether he is good.”He explained over the microphone Real Madrid TV During training in 2022. The goal is clear: to maximize performance by improving physical preparation, an important asset for a team that can play more than 70 matches this season.
There's no performance without a little suffering
However, these exercises, although important, are not without difficulty. “Players don't like it very much, because it's too difficult.”“, confirmed Antonio Pintos in the same interview. Despite the discomfort, the players surrender, realizing that these efforts are necessary to achieve the best levels of performance, something that cannot be measured inside the White House.
This method, which has already been tested in previous seasons, represents a discovery for Kylian Mbappe, who is currently in his first training session with Real Madrid. With ambitious goals, whether in La Liga or the Champions League, the Madrid club is counting on this meticulous preparation to maintain a high level of performance throughout the season.
On Sunday, Real Madrid will face Real Valladolid, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, in the second day of the Spanish League. For the striker, it is also a chance to take his first official steps under the white jersey in front of the Madrid fans after the European Super Cup (and win) in Warsaw, followed by a trip to Mallorca to open the tournament.
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