👕 John Terry – same seat, same music, same parking place

Former Chelsea captain John Terry openly described himself as highly superstitious.

His reported matchday habits included sitting in the same place on the team bus, listening to the same music on the journey to the stadium, parking in the same spot and using multiple layers of tape around his socks.

His relationship with lucky shin pads became particularly famous. Terry used the same pair for an extended period and later adopted a pair belonging to Frank Lampard after losing his own.

FINTER rating: this was not one ritual. It was practically an entire matchday operating system.

💋 Laurent Blanc kissed Fabien Barthez’s head

One of the most famous football rituals of all time occurred during France’s victorious 1998 World Cup campaign.

Before matches, Laurent Blanc would kiss goalkeeper Fabien Barthez on his bald head.

France eventually lifted their first men’s World Cup.

The kiss did not magically make Barthez save shots, of course, but it became a visual symbol of that French team’s tournament.

🍬 Johan Cruyff – chewing gum into the opposition half

Johan Cruyff is remembered as one of football’s greatest tactical thinkers.

UEFA has also documented a much less scientific habit: Cruyff would leave his chewing gum in the opposition half before kick-off.

A man who helped change football forever still had room for superstition.

🎯 Gary Lineker refused to waste his goals in the warm-up

Most strikers practise finishing before kick-off.

Gary Lineker reportedly avoided shooting at goal during his warm-up because he feared that scoring then might mean he would not score when the match started.

FIFA also records that if Lineker remained goalless after the first half, he could change his shirt at half-time.

And during a prolonged scoring drought? A haircut could become part of the solution.

🎵 Mario Gómez stopped singing the anthem

Mario Gómez developed an unusual habit after scoring for Germany’s youth side on an occasion when he had remained silent during the national anthem.

The association stuck.

FIFA also reported another highly specific Gómez routine: using the leftmost urinal in the dressing room before matches.

Some football rituals are definitely easier to explain to teammates than others.

🧴 Gary Neville – never change a winning aftershave

Gary Neville revealed that he would continue using the same aftershave while results were going well.

It is a perfect example of one of sport’s oldest unwritten rules:

🚪 Kolo Touré wanted to be last onto the pitch

UEFA recorded Kolo Touré’s habit of needing to be the final player entering the field.

The action itself obviously had no tactical impact, but repeated order-based rituals are common in sport because they create a predictable sequence before competition.

🚕 Carlos Bilardo – taxis, clothes, chicken and extraordinary luck

Carlos Bilardo may belong in a category of his own.

FIFA has documented an extraordinary collection of beliefs associated with the World Cup-winning Argentine coach.

They included avoiding chicken, associating specific clothes with victories and repeating particular routes to the stadium.

On one occasion, after an alternative taxi journey coincided with success, transport itself became part of the ritual.

Bilardo’s superstitions demonstrate how quickly coincidence can turn into a rule when elite competition places enormous importance on results.

🟡 Luis Aragonés and the colour yellow

Former Spain coach Luis Aragonés was famously associated with an aversion to yellow.

FIFA recounts occasions when that dislike affected clothing and even his reaction to yellow flowers.

Colour superstition occurs far beyond football, but in elite sport it can become part of team folklore.

1️⃣3️⃣ Mario Zagallo and his obsession with number 13

Brazilian legend Mario Zagallo had a remarkably positive relationship with the number 13.

FIFA documented multiple connections between Zagallo and the number, including dates, shirts and personal beliefs.

Some people avoid 13.

Zagallo embraced it.

📚 Gennaro Gattuso – lucky sweatshirt and Dostoevsky

Gennaro Gattuso told FIFA about some particularly unusual tournament behaviour during Germany 2006.

He repeatedly wore the same sweatshirt and developed other routines as Italy progressed through the competition.

FIFA also noted his habit of reading Dostoevsky before matches.

Aggressive midfielder on the pitch.

Russian literature before kick-off.

Football contains multitudes.

🩲 René Higuita and the lucky blue underwear

Goalkeeper René Higuita told FIFA about an extraordinary belief involving blue underwear.

After Atlético Nacional had struggled against Millonarios, a fortune teller reportedly became involved. Blue underwear became associated with changing the team’s fortunes, and Higuita continued the habit.

It is difficult to imagine a modern performance analyst including that recommendation in a goalkeeper development plan.

🤍 Iván Zamorano’s white wristband

Iván Zamorano initially wore a white wrist support because of a physical problem.

Then he scored three goals.

According to FIFA, the white band subsequently became his lucky object.

This is almost a perfect illustration of how superstitions form:

🚪 Bobby Moore and Paul Ince both wanted to leave last

FIFA has described two English internationals with unusual dressing-room exit routines.

Bobby Moore wanted privacy while putting on his shorts, while Paul Ince developed a routine involving leaving late and putting on his shirt on the way toward the pitch.

Imagine both rituals existing in the same dressing room.

Somebody would eventually have to leave second-last.

🧤 Sergio Goycochea and one of football’s strangest penalty rituals

Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea became famous for his penalty-saving performances.

FIFA also recounts perhaps the most unusual superstition in this entire article: before certain penalty shoot-outs, he reportedly relieved himself on the pitch while teammates helped conceal what was happening.

This one definitely belongs in the category:

Do not copy every habit used by professional footballers.