How the pros pass the time in the air

What do professional footballers do to while away the hours on board a plane to a long-distance away fixture? That’s easy: they do exactly what a ‘normal’ long-haul passenger would do, trying to make time in the air (or on the road) pass as comfortably as possible.

“When I’m on a plane, I don’t want anything too taxing,” reported Philipp Lahm in conversation with fcbayern.de. The Germany international was reading a book entitled Ronnie. “It’s about snooker world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan,” explained Lahm, revealing he had recently finished the autobiography penned by record-holding Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Background distraction

Lahm is not always to be found with a book in his hands. “If you’re travelling to a match, you’re normally very focused beforehand – and after it, you’re normally shattered. You don’t want to chew things over or think too hard, you just want something to wash over you,” so Lahm.