England manager Thomas Tuchel has given his team “magic shoes” to wear in the hope that the novel technology will help them as they aim to win the 2026 World Cup.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has given every England player a pair of “magic shoes” to help them on their way to World Cup glory.
England’s players have all been given special shoes that are said to send positive messages from their feet to their brains, and are being touted as ‘mind-changing shoes’.
They have all started wearing the shoes around England’s training base during this camp ahead of their final two World Cup qualifying matches against Serbia and Albania.
“Someone told me about the shoe, and then when they saw everyone wearing it, the color, the shape, and they said, ‘It’s important for me to wear that shoe in my meeting,'” Tuchel said.
“They said they can concentrate more in meetings when they wear these shoes. I hope the players believe that. Probably the most important thing is that they believe that.”
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“I don’t know the science behind it. They try so hard to teach me, but I can’t find the time to understand it. But the players are all wearing it.”
Nike Mind, which won’t be available to the public until January 2026, is said to connect the mind with “thousands of mechanoreceptors” in the soles of the feet. The shoes look a bit like Crocs, but have a larger, thicker sole and are thought to send sensors from beneath your feet to your brain, giving you the power of positive thinking.
Tuchel is ready to try every trick in the book to ensure his players are well prepared for next summer’s World Cup in America. The England manager himself meditates regularly and encourages his players to do the same, especially if it helps them relax.
Tuchel said: “It helps me calm down, focus and become more aware. I don’t know how the effect will feel. It’s not like ‘wow’ as soon as I do it. It’s more of a continuous thing. The more I do it, the more I feel the effect, but it’s subtle.”
“I encourage everyone to try it. I believe it works. You don’t have to meditate even if you don’t believe it works. That’s the good thing about meditation. We have Suzanne in our camp who does great breathing sessions. She does a lot more than that, but she does it and the players buy into it. They feel a sense of relief. There are many ways to go about it.”
“At Dortmund we did it with the whole team and it was a great experience. But football has become more personal. The players have a support system around them. Many of them invest in meditation, breathing exercises, Pilates, visualization and yoga.”
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