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.

5 days ago | [YT] | 77

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 week 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.

2 weeks 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.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 92

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!

1 month ago | [YT] | 120

Antony Papadopoulos

In 2020, I stood in front of a camera for the first time in my life.

In my garden. Making football videos. Documenting my journey.

I was nervous, awkward and could barely string a sentence together without restarting the video 10 times.

Fast forward less than 7 years...

I achieved my dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Built an audience of 240,000+ on TikTok and 40,000+ on Instagram.
And built two businesses alongside playing professional football.

Not because I'm the most talented.

And definitely not because I got lucky.

I just decided to go all in.

And more importantly, I didn't stop when things weren't working.

There were videos that got 200 views.

Seasons where I barely played.

Times I questioned whether any of it was actually going anywhere.

But I kept showing up.

That's probably the biggest thing the last 7 years have taught me:

You massively underestimate what you can achieve when you give something years instead of weeks.

Most people don't fail because they're incapable.
They post for 3 months and quit.
Train properly for 6 weeks and lose discipline.
Start a business and expect it to work immediately.

We massively overestimate what we can achieve in 6 months and underestimate what we can build in 5 years.

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

I want to play at the highest level possible.

I want to make my training app the best platform possible for aspiring footballers.

I want to build Match Fuel into something massive.

And I'll probably look back at this post in another 7 years and laugh at how early I actually was.

So if you're at the beginning of something right now...

Start.

Be bad at it.

Learn.

Improve.

And give yourself enough time to become good.

You'd be surprised where you can end up if you just don't stop.

1 month ago | [YT] | 111

Antony Papadopoulos

We're back!
First vlog this season... Featuring training with my NEW team, gym work and an exciting new project I've just released 👀

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

1 month ago | [YT] | 12

Antony Papadopoulos

Everyone wants to become a professional footballer.

Very few are willing to live like one before they get there.

The biggest mistake I see from young players is thinking they'll become more disciplined after they sign a pro contract.

The reality is the opposite.

The players who make it are usually the ones already acting like professionals long before anyone is paying them.

They recover properly.
They eat well.
They stay in the gym.
They look after their sleep.
They work on their weaknesses.

Not because someone tells them to.

Because that's just who they are.

When I signed my first professional contract, my routine didn't suddenly change.

I'd already been living like a professional for years.

It rewarded the habits I'd already built.

Start acting like the player you want to become today.

Because by the time the opportunity comes, it'll be too late to start preparing.

That's what separates the players who make it from the ones who almost did.

1 month ago | [YT] | 165

Antony Papadopoulos

For the first time in my career, I'm injured.

I've always seen myself as a durable player.

Always available.
Always training.
Always ready to play.

Then after a tough week during pre season,

I tore my quad.

As strange as it sounds, the hardest part wasn't the injury itself.

It was suddenly having no control.

No matches.
No training with the team.

At first, I was frustrated and upset as I'd worked so hard throughout the off season.

But after a couple of days, I realised something.

Every footballer gets tested & the setback is never the real test.

Your response is.

I could've spent the next few weeks feeling sorry for myself.

Instead, I focused on everything I could still control.

My rehab.
My nutrition.
My recovery.
My mindset.

Because although I can't control exactly when I'll be back, I can control how professional I am every single day until I am.

That's all any of us can do.

Football won't always go your way.

But your response is always your choice.

I'll be back.

2 months ago | [YT] | 186