Pickle juice: England's secret weapon for Euro 2024 final

The excitement surrounding the upcoming final of the European Football Championship is growing. The English and the Spanish are already preparing for the final and most important match. According to the BBC, one of the secrets to the excellent form of the English footballers is a certain mixture. "Pickle juice" is undoubtedly in their doctor’s bag today.

The buzz around the mysterious mixture given to the English footballers began during the match against Serbia. Then, defender Kieran Trippier left the pitch towards the end of the second half with an injury. Cameras captured the moment he stretched his leg, and the team doctor handed him a tube with something to swallow. The British media wondered at the time if the player received electrolytes. As it turned out, it was "pickle juice".

This juice's ingredients include double-filtered water, salt, organic vinegar, dill oil, tapioca starch, and rosemary extract, as well as potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc. But why does the doctor for the England team give it to the players?

Dr. Damian Parol, a dietitian and psychodietitian with a bodybuilding instructor license, explained how "pickle juice" works.

"Drinking pickle juice is about preventing or treating muscle cramps that occur during intense efforts," he said.

"It might be surprising, but we don't fully know the answer to where these cramps come from. What we do know is that popular magnesium doesn't work in this context," he explained.

He added, "we have evidence that substances with a sharp or bitter taste can reduce the risk of cramps or shorten their duration." Therefore, footballers reach for pickled vinegar, not the brine in which pickled cucumbers float.