Antony Papadopoulos

17 years of playing football without a proper injury. Now I've had 2 in the space of 4 months...

As some of you know, I tore my quad during pre-season, which kept me out for around a month. After finally getting back fit, playing regularly and enjoying my football again, I've unfortunately been hit with another setback.

This time, something completely out of my control that required a small operation to sort out.

Gutted to say the least.

Being injured is still such a strange feeling for me. I've always been fit, available and ready to play, but this season seems to be throwing one setback after another my way.

So what's the plan?

Firstly, recover properly. Thankfully, I shouldn't be out for too long, but there's no point rushing the process.

Secondly, reassess everything. My training, recovery, nutrition, sleep and lifestyle. Not because I've necessarily done anything wrong, but because there's always room to improve.

And most importantly, stay positive.

Some things in football are completely out of your control. You can either sit there feeling sorry for yourself or focus on what you CAN control.

If you're going through a difficult period yourself, remember that setbacks are part of the journey. It's how you respond that matters.

Another setback, another lesson, back soon.

1 day ago |[YT] | 113

Antony Papadopoulos

For over a year, my League One debut shirt has been sitting in my wardrobe collecting dust.

Not because I forgot about it, but because we lost 4-1 that day and, honestly, I never really looked back on it as an achievement.

In my head, it was just another game. Another step towards where I wanted to be. Nothing worth celebrating.

But recently, I was speaking to an ex-Premier League player who told me something that completely changed my perspective.

Be proud of every single achievement in football."

He made me think about how many footballers actually get the opportunity to play in League One. Think about the thousands of players in academies, non-league, semi-professional football and even those who play professionally but never reach that level.

It's a tiny percentage.

And there I was, with a shirt representing something I'd worked towards since I was 5 years old, sitting in the back of my wardrobe.

I think as footballers, we're so obsessed with getting to the next level that we forget to appreciate the level we've already reached.

You make your professional debut, you want to become a regular starter. You play in League One, you want the Championship. You reach the Championship, you want the Premier League.

So I finally took the shirt out, dusted it off and got it framed.

And now, instead of looking at it as a reminder of a loss, I look at it as a reminder of the thousands of hours I've put into football to get to that point.

Of course, I'm nowhere near finished. I've still got massive ambitions and plenty more I want to achieve in my career.

But I've realised you can be proud of what you've achieved without becoming satisfied with where you are.

And that's something I think we all need to remind ourselves of sometimes.

Stop comparing your chapter 5 to someone else's chapter 20. Be proud of YOUR journey, YOUR progress and YOUR achievements.

Because something you barely acknowledge today might be something your younger self would've dreamed of.

1 week ago |[YT] | 95

Antony Papadopoulos

The vlogs are back!

Featuring a full day in the life, training, gym work and everything that goes on behind the scenes.

Drop a like & let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Appreciate all the support as always 🤝

2 weeks ago |[YT] | 4

Antony Papadopoulos

Between 2021 and 2022, my life completely changed.

For the first time in my career, I was a free agent.

Up until that point, football was pretty much my entire life.
Everything I did revolved around becoming a professional footballer, and I’d never really thought about what came outside of that.

Then suddenly I was without a club.
I wasn’t earning much money, I was struggling financially and it made me think properly about my future for the first time.

The reality of professional football is that unless you reach the very top levels of the game, it’s unrealistic to expect football alone to make you financially free for the rest of your life.
Careers are short.

And eventually, every footballer has to stop playing.
I knew I still wanted to give absolutely everything to football.

But I also realised I needed to start building something outside of it.

Back then, I’d finish training, come home and spend hours playing FIFA or doing absolutely nothing productive.

So I started replacing those hours.
Instead of playing FIFA, I started researching.

Trying things. Failing at things. Starting again.

Fast forward four years and football is still a massive part of my life. I’m still playing professionally and still giving everything I have to see how far I can take my career.
But now I’ve also built things outside of it.

We have our own football training app used by 20,000+ players.
And this year I launched Match Fuel, a hydration and focus supplement company built specifically for footballers.

You can chase your main goal with everything you've got while still creating something outside of it.
Football is still my priority.

But one day football will finish.
And when that day comes, I don't want to be starting from zero.

It's crazy how much your life can change in four years when you stop wasting the hours nobody sees.

Antony

3 weeks ago |[YT] | 97

Antony Papadopoulos

Can't tell you how good it feels to be back home in London.

After spending the last two years playing for Crawley Town, I've finally moved back home and honestly, I didn't realise how much I'd missed it.

Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot living away & signing for the club was a massive moment in my career, and the experiences I've had over the last two years have taught me so much, both on and off the pitch.

But there's something about being back home that you just can't replace.

Being around family and friends, having my usual routine, training at the places I grew up training and being able to spend more time working on my businesses. All the little things I probably took for granted before moving away.

And the older I get, the more I realise how important those things actually are.

For years, I've been so focused on football, improving, getting to the next level and building something for myself that sometimes I forget to appreciate what I've already got.

Football is still my number one priority. That will never change. But being back in London has actually allowed me to enjoy my football even more, because it's not the only thing on my mind 24/7.

I've signed a new two-year deal, I'm enjoying my football again, and I get to come home every day to family and work on my other passions behind the scenes.

Of course, I've still got massive ambitions in football and business, and there's a LOT more I want to achieve.

But I've realised something over the last few months.

You can be hungry for more whilst still being grateful for what you have right now.

4 weeks ago |[YT] | 78

Antony Papadopoulos

After winning our first 5 games, we've now lost 2 in a row.

Weirdly enough, those two losses have probably been up there with some of our better performances this season. But ultimately, it's the scoreline that matters.

So let's talk about adversity.

Everyone goes through it. Whether it's football, business or life in general, at some point things aren't going to go your way. And I've always believed how you respond during those periods determines how you come out of them.

So what do I do?
Work harder and stay positive.

Those are the two things I've always told myself. Whether my football isn't going well or one of my businesses is having a bad month, my response is the same.

Firstly, you never regret hard work. If things continue to go wrong, at least I can look back knowing I did absolutely everything I could to turn it around. No regrets.

Secondly, being negative gets you NOWHERE. It doesn't change the result, improve your performance or solve the problem. All it does is make a difficult situation even harder.

Sometimes adversity can actually be the best thing that happens to you. It exposes where you need to improve, tests your mentality and forces you to respond.

Hopefully, that's exactly what these last two results do for us.

Whatever you're going through right now, football, business or life.. try changing the way you look at adversity.

Stay positive, Work harder & do everything you can to turn it around.

Then, whatever happens, no regrets.

1 month ago |[YT] | 65

Antony Papadopoulos

Still can’t quite get my head around seeing players using Match Fuel.

Whether it’s someone tagging me before a game, sending me a photo of their tub in the changing room, or messaging saying they’ve made it part of their match-day routine.

It’s still crazy.

For years I’ve posted about football, training, recovery, nutrition and everything I’ve learned from playing professionally.

Then I had this idea to create something specifically for footballers.

Something I’d actually want to use myself.

And now there are Match Fuel tubs sitting in changing rooms, kit bags and kitchens all over the country.

I think when you’re building something, it’s easy to obsess over numbers.

Orders. Revenue. Followers. ROAS. Website traffic.
And obviously, those things matter.

But they don’t hit the same as seeing an actual person using something you created.

Putting a scoop in their bottle and taking it with them to training or a game.

That’s when it becomes real.
We’re still ridiculously early.

There’s so much I want to do with Match Fuel, and where it is today is nowhere near where I want it to eventually be.

But every now and then I have to remind myself that a few months ago none of this existed.

It was literally just an idea in my head.
Now it’s a real product being used by real footballers.

And I’m enjoying every bit of building it.

Appreciate every single person who’s backed Match Fuel so far.
We’re only getting started.

1 month ago |[YT] | 25

Antony Papadopoulos

Reflecting on the last 4 months...

At the end of May, last season finished and I left my club.

For the first time in a while I was a free agent and honestly, I was excited for a fresh start.

I spent the summer travelling to new countries, experiencing new things and actually enjoying myself, whilst still training and making sure I was ready for pre season.

Eventually, I signed a two-year deal with a new club back home in London. A fresh start, closer to home and something I was really excited about.

I launched something I'd be working on for over 8 months... Match Fuel. A supplement brand made specifically for footballers.

Once we returned to pre season I picked up the first muscle injury of my career and ended up spending around a month out.

Frustrating after working so hard all summer, but thankfully I'm back now.

We're now 6 games into the season, I'm back playing, enjoying my football and helping the team and we're currently top of the league.

There's a LONG way to go, but it's crazy how much can change in just four months.

New club. First injury. Building a business. Enjoying football again.

I always speak about how important it is to reflect.

So if you haven't already, take some time to sit down and reflect on the last 3/4 months. Think about where you were, what you were working towards, what went well and what didn't.

When you're constantly focused on what's next, it's easy to forget about the progress you've already made.

Sometimes it's good to look back and realise how far you've actually come.

1 month ago |[YT] | 93

Antony Papadopoulos

My first 90 minutes in 5 months...

And honestly... it felt GOOD.

Last season started really well for me, but as the season went on I wasn't playing anywhere near as much football as I wanted.

I eventually went out on loan, which meant trying to find rhythm and catch up on minutes again.

Then this summer I thought I'd finally put all of that behind me.

New club.
Fresh start.
Really good off-season.

And then I tore my quad in pre-season...

But yesterday I finally completed my first full 90 minutes in around 5 months.

2-0 win, big game & 4 wins from 4.

But more importantly...
I'm enjoying my football again!

And I don't think I realised how much I'd missed that feeling.

When you're playing every week, it's easy to take it for granted.

Even waking up the next morning with your whole body aching 😂

The last year has taught me that sometimes you need football taken away from you to realise how much you actually love it.

I'm nowhere near where I want to be yet.

But after a frustrating few months, it finally feels like I'm on the right track again.

90 minutes in the legs.
3 points.
4/4.

And most importantly...
The enjoyment is back. ❤️

1 month ago |[YT] | 150

Antony Papadopoulos

6 weeks ago, I tore my quad for the first time in my career.

2 days ago, I finally stepped back onto the pitch.

30 minutes off the bench.
Nothing crazy.
But honestly, it felt so good to be back.

The last month has probably given me a completely different appreciation for being able to play football.

When you've trained every day and played every week for years, being available almost becomes normal.

You don't really think about it.
Until it's taken away from you.

For the last 4 weeks, my days have been completely different.

Rehab. Gym. Recovery.

Watching the team train instead of being involved.
And a lot of patience.

There were days where I felt ready to play but my body wasn't.

That's probably been the hardest thing about being injured.

But wanting to be ready doesn't mean you are ready.

You have to respect the process.

30 minutes.
No problems.

And most importantly, I felt like myself again.
There's still work to do before I'm back to 100%, but that's okay.

Good to be back!

2 months ago |[YT] | 120