20 Amazing Bodies of Soccer Stars

As the Women's World Cup continues, get ready to be inspired by the incredible dedication and determination of female soccer stars. These 20 amazing athletes have not only mastered their craft on the field but have also embraced various fitness routines and dietary choices to maintain peak performance. From Alex Morgan's energy-boosting vegan diet to Megan Rapinoe's focus on strength training, these women are breaking barriers and redefining what it means to be a true champion. Join us as we delve into the unique fitness journeys and mindsets of these soccer icons, showcasing how their extraordinary bodies are a testament to their unwavering passion for the game.

1. Alex Morgan

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Alex Morgan makes sure to eat healthy. One thing she does is follow a vegan diet. She shared some of her favorite foods with The Beet. “I love an energy ball, so that's nut butter, oats, some chocolate chips and coconut flakes. All rolled into a ball so it's a lot of healthy energy.”

2. Megan Rapinoe

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Megan Rapinoe shares some of her favorite workouts in an interview with Bustle. “Weight training is really big for me. Obviously, I run a lot playing soccer, but I also make sure that I strength train and pay attention to how everything’s working in my body, especially as I get older. I love Pilates, which is amazing for that. I feel like it strengthens you from the inside out.”

3. Sam Kerr

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Sam Kerr broke down her exercise routine to AModrn.com. “My training regimen really depends on whether it’s a game week or not. If it’s a game week we’ll have four field sessions in a week and a gym session. My own gym sessions focus mostly on leg workouts, relying on resistant exercises using my body weight and bridges! On the field, we’ll have different tactical drills, whether it’s a defensive play or counterattack. It’s pretty stock standard. I’m lucky that we have an awesome national team conditioning coach that makes us work hard.”

4. Ada Hegerberg

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Ada Hegerberg opened up about her career in an interview with The Guardian. She says how she stays motivated. “My biggest ambition is to maximise the potential in me. To see how far I can push it as a player at the highest level; that’s something that motivates me.”

5. Wendie Renard

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Wendie Renard notably announced that she would not be playing in the World Cup to help her mental health. She announced this on social media. "I love France more than anything, I am not perfect, far from it, but I can no longer support the current system, which is far from the requirements of the highest level. It is a sad day but necessary to preserve my mental health. It is with a heavy heart that I come to inform you of my decision to step back from the French team. Unfortunately, I will not be playing in this World Cup under such conditions. My face may hide the pain but my heart is suffering... and I don't want to suffer anymore."

6. Tobin Heath

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Tobin Heath isn’t just a soccer player. She’s a role model. She opened up about this in and how she approaches it in an interview. “I’m aware that I’m now a role model for younger players,” she says. “I bring more maturity to practice—it’s more of a work environment to me, where I consciously work to get better each day.”

7. Toni Pressley

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Toni Pressley is open about being a vegan. She even has a vegan cooking show with Ali Riley, called Girls Gone Veg. In one episode, she talked about how being vegan has affected her. “I just noticed right away that like I just felt better," Pressley said. "I don't ever remember a period of time where I felt like my body was going through a drastic change, like negatively, because of the diet switch.”

8. Lucy Bronze

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Lucy Bronze opened up about her typical workout weeks in an interview with Strength and Conditioning Education. “For a normal week of training during the season, I’d get two days off, usually Monday and Thursday, where I’m free to chill and do whatever I want. On Tuesdays, I have to be at the training ground for 8:30am, we have breakfast with the team, see the physio, foam roll, stretch etc, then preactivation session for 15 minutes before we go out for training. I train for 1-2hours, then back in for lunch, then a weights session in the afternoon. Wednesday we do the same but finish at lunch, no weights session. Thursday is the same as Tuesday, Friday is the same at Wednesday. Saturday in for 10:30, train for an hour, lunch and home. Sunday is game day.

9. Carli Lloyd

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Carli Lloyd opened up about her favorite workouts to Insider. She says that she decided to step away from weight training for bodyweight exercises. "I do use weights now, but if the weights are used in the actual movements that you do on a normal basis and on your field and in your respective sport, then I think it's fine," she said. "But you're never in a squat position on the field with 300 pounds of a bar on you and doing that motion, you know, you're always on the move."

10. Christine Sinclair

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Christine Sinclair shared her workout routine with ELLE Canada. She says that she does a lot of cardio, specifically running, and intervals. “We never really do a long, slow jog; everything is run as far as you can for 25 minutes, take a five-minute break and when you’re done, do it again. Then, we do a lot of interval training [bursts of speed]. Anywhere from an eight-minute interval to a 10-minute intervals. For soccer, you need a good aerobic base, but you’re not jogging around the soccer field at one pace. It’s all about sprint, rest and how quickly can you recover. In the gym, we’ll usually have a base period where we’re working on just general strength, injury prevention, that type of thing and then as competition gets closer, we focus on speed and power and explosiveness.”

11. Marcus Rashford

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Marcus Rashford opened up about how reading has helped him in an interview with The Guardian. “Reading triggered something in me. I read a lot of books about mentality, because I wanted to play in Manchester United’s first team and I knew that to get there and to stay there I’d have to be mentally as tough as I can be. I learned about myself from books.”

12. Aaron Long

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Aaron Long opened up about recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture to The Los Angeles Times. “Everything starts flashing through your head, all the things you’re going to miss. They’re telling me it’s a nine-to-12-month injury. You really just don’t know how it’s going to go down. It was a tough break. I just had to kind of switch my mindset into rehab mode so I could miss as little as possible.”

13. Sean Johnson

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Sean Johnson plays goalkeeper on the field. He shared what exercises he has to do to stay in shape with Men’s Fitness. “As a goalkeeper, I do a lot of plyometric work, a lot of explosive work, and single-leg workouts in my training. In this position, it’s crucial to have strong legs and a powerful lower body, because when you're making saves, you're diving off one foot or jumping off one foot. I make sure to focus a lot on my lower body and explosive power.”

14. Ethan Horvath

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In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Ethan Horvath opened up about how he approaches games. “In those difficult periods, I learned that you have to take a step back and breathe,” he said. “You can’t look too far in the future, even a couple of days. You have to go back to basics. These last two weeks, I told myself that I don’t have to do anything spectacular, I don’t need to be Superman. I’ve learned to be patient and be ready, because you never know when your next chance is going to come.”

15. Matt Turner

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During one of his games, Matt Turner wrote the words “R.I.P. Malia” on his jersey. He explained that this was for one of his fans that passed from cancer. Turner explained why he did this in an interview. “As professional athletes, you have a platform. For me, I used to use that platform a lot more frequently, dealing with kids with cancer. There was one I met named Malia, and it just came to my attention recently that she passed away. Honestly I felt terrible because I hadn’t been there as much for her really after seeing her at Gillette Stadium. God rest her soul, may she rest in peace and much love to her family, and know that every day me and my family are thinking of her.”

16. Harry Kane

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Nutrition is important to Harry Kane. He explained how he eats healthy in an interview with The Independent. “I had a guy come round and explained what you could do, eating the right food at the right times,” Kane said. “It blew me away a bit. I'd never looked too much into it, but he explained what the body does and how he could help me recover. He helped me in the recovery from the injury, with foods I was eating.”

17. Jordan Morris

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Jordan Morris is open about having Type 1 Diabetes. He talked about managing it in an interview with MLSSoccer.com. “It is tougher – if your blood sugar is not in the right range, it can be tough to play. But I think getting it at such a young age, I had to learn how to work hard and take care of something…That was the first question my mom asked [Morris’ doctor] – ‘can he still play sports?’ And he said the more, the better. At a young age, having to get out and exercise a lot and really watch what you eat, it’s stuff that you have to do to become a professional athlete. And I think being able to start that at a young age maybe helped me get to where I am.”

18. DeJuan Jones

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DeJuan Jones opened up about his mindset during games in a press conference. “I feel like my confidence has grown as well just playing in bigger games, so it’s been it’s been great, and I’m continuing to grind, and do whatever I can in training to put my best foot forward.”

19. Sergio Ramos

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In an interview with UEFA, Sergio Ramos talked about how he approaches playing and his motivations. "I get up every day with the same desire to keep improving,” he said. “Which I've had since I was a kid. I'm not looking for recognition. All I want to do every year is do even better, forget what we've won and set new challenges. I'll keep going as long as the body allows it.”

20. Julian Gressel

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In an interview with 90 Min, Julian Gressel talked about his career, and how he feels. "I was always just trying to give back to the community for what they gave us in the locker room and I certainly look back to all of it with nothing but a smile on my face. I'm excited to go back there every year and play there. It's special. It'll be a special place in my heart for me and my family forever.”

Discover the wellness and fitness secrets that power the world's most extraordinary athletes. From Simone Biles' radiant skin regimen to Usain Bolt's hydration tactics, delve into the health routines that fuel success. Lebron James reveals his game-day diet shift, while Serena Williams embraces plant-based eating. These elite athletes, like Michael Phelps and Ronda Rousey, share their motivational strategies, from chasing dreams to boosting metabolism. Explore Lionel Messi's workout dedication and Naomi Osaka's commitment to mental health. Join us in uncovering the 20 remarkable bodies of history-making athletes, each with a unique approach to greatness.

1. Simone Biles

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Simone Biles has amazing skin. She shared some of her secrets and favorite products with People. "This Pitera essence is seriously like a miracle water for my skin: it hydrates, moisturizes, evens out my skin tone and leaves my skin glowing. I love that it's super powerful, yet really lightweight. When I heard the legendary story – that it was discovered in a Sake brewery in Japan where all the elderly brewers had soft hands with no wrinkles – I knew I needed to try it, and now I love it."

2. Usain Bolt

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Usain Bolt talked about his diet and workout secrets in an interview with GQ. “I try not to eat too much up to a workout, but I stay hydrated. I drink Gatorade throughout the day because it’s so hot in Jamaica. You have to keep it up throughout the day.”

3. Lebron James

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In an interview with Men’s Health, Lebron James talked about a diet he recently went on. “I had no sugars, no dairy, I had no carbs. All I ate was meat, fish, veggies and fruit. That's it. For 67 straight days. Before competition for me would be like a chicken breast and maybe a little pasta. The carbs help because you're going out and playing a lot of minutes,” LeBron said. “But a salad and some veggies will have me perfectly fine. And before the game I might have a protein shake and some fruit, and I'll be ready to go.”

4. Serena Williams

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Serena Williams makes sure to eat healthy. One thing she is doing is eating a plant-based diet. She explained why in an interview with Women’s Health. "I want to have a healthy lifestyle and, so you know, [I'm eating] a lot of greens and mostly plant-based lately, just super healthy stuff."

5. Michael Phelps

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Michael Phelps did a virtual event with Panasonic in 2021, where he talked about how he stays motivated. “I think it's important to have a dream because that's what's going to drive you. That's what's going to help you. It's going to motivate you to get out of bed every single day. I had these dreams of being an Olympic swimmer, a world record holder.”

6. Ronda Rousey

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Ronda Rousey shared some of her favorite foods and diet secrets with StyleCaster. “I follow the Dolce Diet, and for breakfast I start the day off at 7:30am with a Dolce chia bowl. That’s two tablespoons of chia, hemp, and oats, add agave nectar, cinnamon, a couple blueberries, and a tablespoon of almond butter. My diet is about maximizing my nutrient intake instead of minimizing calories, and that keeps my metabolism burning fast.”

7. Lionel Messi

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Lionel Messi makes sure to stay in shape and workout on a regular basis. He shared this video of himself in the gym on Instagram. In it, he is seen doing Russian twists and sit-ups with a weight and running on the treadmill. He captioned the post, “Never give up. Never stop chasing your dreams.”

8. Katie Ledecky

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Katie Ledecky talked about her training process with E! News. “On a hard day, I'll have two swim practices and a weight session. I swim twice a day, four times a week and once a day, twice a week and then I have Sundays off. I swim nine to ten times a week and then three weight sessions per week.”

9. Zion Williamson

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In an interview on the Gil’s Arena podcast, Zion Williamson talked about where he is in his basketball career. "I'm at that point now because of certain things, I'm putting back the wisdom around me. I don't want to say older because they get defensive, but I'm putting people around me with wisdom. And just go from there."

10. Saquon Barkley

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Saquon Barkley shared his workout secrets with Muscle and Fitness. “Being a running back, you have to be explosive. So I focus a lot on keeping my power and foundation strong with explosive movements. I’ll do heavy squats, power cleans, bench for upper body.”

11. Novak Djokovic

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In his book, Serve to Win, Novak Djokovic talked about how he stays in shape. "Every morning I wake up ... I drink a glass of water and do my stretching, maybe mixed with some yoga or tai chi, for 20 minutes. I eat a breakfast perfectly calibrated to my body for the day ahead - the same breakfast almost every day of my life

12. Katie Taylor

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Katie Taylor talked about her approach to boxing with Balance The Grind. “You have to put absolutely everything into your craft. There are days when you’re not going to be in the mood for training, but they are the days which are most important. They are the days when you have to push yourself to the gym and put everything into those sessions.”

13. Naomi Osaka

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Naomi Osaka is all about putting her mental health first. She notably withdrew from the 2021 French Open because of her mental health. She explained why in a statement. “Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at the tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety. So here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious so I thought it was better to exercise self‑care and skip the press conferences. I announced it preemptively because I do feel like the rules are quite outdated in parts and I wanted to highlight that.”

14. Allyson Felix

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In an interview with EatingWell, Allyson Felix talked about how she stays in shape. “I train about five hours a day. Three of those hours are on the track -- warming up, stretching, doing drills and then the actual workout, which may be anything from very technical work on the starting blocks to speed work. From there, I go to the gym and spend a couple of hours doing strength and conditioning.”

15. Chloe Kim

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Chloe Kim talked about how she handles life in the spotlight with Refinery29. She says that she has learned to take the good with the bad. “It's not all good here. I struggle a lot. There's a lot of pressure. There's a lot of things going on in my life. I don't want people to think I am this person who says, ‘Oh everything sucks.’ But it does sometimes, and that’s okay.”

16. Carli Lloyd

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Carli Lloyd shared some of her workout secrets with Insider. She says that she has to do a lot of ab workouts. "Your core stabilizes everything," Lloyd explained. "I really realized throughout the course of my career how important the core was. It's for everything, it's for takeoff, it's for turning, so I spent a great deal of time doing a lot of core exercises, like jumps and high-knees, where I lift my knees all the way up to my chest."

17. Mikaela Shifrin

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Mikaela Shifrin takes the good with the bad when it comes to her training. “Some days, I have perfect moments,” she said in an interview. “Perfect turns. Perfect technique. I forget about the pain. I remember my dad from a distance, and when I get up on the mountain, it feels like the only place that I can truly breathe. And then some days, it still just sucks. Some days, it’s so hard to put one foot in front of the other. That’s grief. That’s being a human.”

18. Ash Barty

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Ash Barty talked about her approach to eating in an interview with Body & Soul. “Everything in moderation and listen to your body,” she says. “If I’m feeling run-down, I make sure I’m eating well and looking after myself by having plenty of fresh fruit and veg. A steak or red meat usually helps when I’m run-down, too.”

19. Gabby Douglas

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In an interview with HollywoodLife, Gabby Douglas talked about how exercise has changed since retiring from gymnastics. “I’m used to doing the same thing every single day, whereas now I get to switch it up. Like, today we’ll do HIIT. Today we’ll do trampoline. Today we’ll do a dance workout. Today we’ll just dive in and it’s been fun even to be creative with myself, coming up with workouts that I find enjoyable because I believe you should be having fun when you workout. I love hard work and I love to sweat but at the same time though, you should love what you do.”

20. Shaun White

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Shaun White talked about how he stays fit in an interview with UsWeekly. “Even though I’m training [for] snowboarding [and] not really competing in skateboarding right now, I’ll still go to skate parks for fun, stuff like that. I love surfing. The biggest thing I recently fell in love with it — I want to say recently, maybe a couple of years ago — was mountain biking. I did a couple of SoulCycle classes and things like that. They were fun, but you’re not going anywhere.”

Australia soccer star Steph Catley is taking a well-earned break from her busy training schedule to enjoy the beautiful sun and sea in Santorini, Greece. Catley, 29, shared highlights from her vacation, including snaps of herself wearing a yellow bikini and she soaked up the sun on a luxury yacht. She also included pictures of herself swimming in the ocean. “A few days to recharge in 🇬🇷😍,” she captioned the post. Catley works incredibly hard to maintain the physique of the Olympian she is—here’s how she does it.

1. Protein-Heavy Diet

Catley enjoys a balanced diet with plenty of protein. “[Breakfast is] 1 piece of almond butter toast, 1 bowl of oats with shredded almonds, honey and mixed berries,” she says. “[Lunch] varies but generally a salad with some sort of meat mixed in or on the side. My favorite combination right now is a chicken salad with spinach, walnuts and pear. [Snack is] a coffee with a small chia pudding bowl, or some fruit… I love different types of pastas, grilled vegetables and potatoes, or stir fries and dishes with brown rice.”

2. Game Day Fuel

Catley’s game-day diet is designed to give her as much energy as possible. “It depends what time the game is. But no matter what I eat in the morning or lunch, around an hour and a half before I play I always eat two slices of multigrain toast with peanut butter and sliced banana on top,” she says. Her favorite indulgence meal is “a huge burrito bowl from Chipotle with lime and salt chips on the side.”

3. Giving 100 Percent

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Catley leads by example when it comes to training and competing. "I always give 100 per cent at training and in everything that I do on and off the field," she says. "I'm not the leader that's going to be screaming and shouting at everyone in the change rooms [when something goes wrong]. On the field, I want people to look at me, and think, ‘Well, if she's giving 100 percent, always, then I have to give 100 percent'."

4. World Cup Training

Catley and her teammates start the day at 7.30am. “We’ve been non-stop for the last four to five weeks now. Training, gym, meetings, the lot,” she said about preparing for the World Cup. “The rest of the day is made up of ice-baths, massage, physio treatment and often media commitments… But the closer we get to the games, you can see the hard work paying off and everything starting to come together, so the hard work has definitely been worth it.”

5. Role Model

Catley was thrilled about taking part in the World Cup not just for herself and her team ,but for future athletes. "It's an opportunity for us, as a team, to inspire young girls and young boys," she said. “I had no [female athletes] to look up to growing up, to aspire to be a footballer, compared to what it’s like now. As a team, we have the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage on home soil, and I think it’s so, so exciting. It could change anything – everything – for football in Australia for young girls and young boys. So to be honest, I wish the World Cup was starting tomorrow. I'm just excited to get going.”