While most people across the UK enjoy festive traditions on Christmas Day, Premier League footballers follow a strict and demanding routine as they prepare for Boxing Day fixtures. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher recently shared insights into the grueling Christmas Day schedule that top-flight stars must adhere to each year.
For many, Christmas Day fills people with presents, food, and celebrations, but for footballers, they continue with business as usual. Due to the Boxing Day matches, coaches typically require players to train, work on tactics, and prepare for another fixture.
Carragher, who spent 17 years as a Liverpool defender before retiring in 2013, recalled how he limited his Christmas Day celebrations. Although most players are allowed to have Christmas lunch at home depending on travel plans, their festivities are often constrained by strict dietary rules and a complete absence of alcohol.
Carragher remembered his family’s attempts to get him to indulge in a festive drink, but he stuck to water instead, knowing the importance of staying in peak condition. “They’d be like ‘have a drink!’ And we’d be like ‘got a game’,” he explained. “But it didn’t bother me too much. One drink or something isn’t going to do absolutely anything, but I’d never drink at Christmas.”
Similarly, Arsenal legend Ian Wright reflected on the quiet atmosphere of Christmas morning, when he would drive to training and notice how empty the roads were. “Everyone’s really nice, people wave to you in the cars because it’s Christmas morning. Even Spurs fans!” he said. However, once the players arrived at training, it was back to business as usual. “It’s all the same – all the guys have just left their families,” Wright noted.
Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given also recalled how players would stick to water on Christmas Day, even when traveling away for Boxing Day matches. Given explained to the Irish Independent that players whose teams were away on Boxing Day would have to leave their families to stay in a hotel for pre-match preparations. “There was a period where Newcastle had about seven or eight consecutive away games on Boxing Day,” he added. “It felt like we’d been totally jinxed!”
This year, 16 of the 20 Premier League teams are in action on Boxing Day. The only exceptions are Brighton, who play on the 27th against Brentford, and Arsenal, who host Ipswich Town on the same evening. For players, it’s another busy festive period where family time and holiday indulgence take a backseat to the demands of top-flight football.
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