Sports superstition. What signs do champions believe in

Unfortunately, the result of a match, duel or skating on the ice does not always depend only on the physical and mental fitness of the athlete. Sometimes it's luck that decides the outcome of a competition. Therefore, almost every athlete has his own talisman or omen that he believes in. To turn their fortune to their faces and achieve the desired result, champions are ready to resort to the most sophisticated and incomprehensible methods. On Friday the 13th, we recall the strangest sports superstitions.

Secret message: Elena Isinbaeva, Alexander Ovechkin and Patrick Roy

Two-time Olympic champion in pole vaulting Elena Isinbaeva spoke out before each jump the same words. However, the athlete never revealed her secret. Even lip-reading specialists have tried to guess what she was saying, but they have not been successful.

One of the best hockey players of our time talks with a stick before every match. What exactly Captain Washington Capitals tells her before going out on the ice is unknown. But these conversations definitely have a positive effect on Ovechkin's play on the court.

The famous ex-NHL goalkeeper Patrick Roy circled his wicket on a special trajectory before each match. And during the game itself, the hockey player talked to the frame and thanked the crossbar for helping in repelling opponents' blows.

Symbols of numbers: Michael Jordan and Irina Slutskaya

Michael Jordan attached great importance to his number - 23. When the athlete was in his last grades of school, he was accepted into basketball team. His older brother Larry played in it at number 45. The future sports star decided to wear a jersey with the number 23 in order to be at least half as good a player as his brother. Under this number, Jordan appeared on the site for almost his entire career.

Irina Slutskaya believed in signs only in childhood. With age, the famous skater stopped taking superstitions seriously and began to rely more on skill. But the Salt Lake City Olympic Games in 2002 changed everything. The athlete got the 13th number: it was with this number that she managed to win silver at the Games. After that, as Slutskaya herself admitted, all the good news and events happened to her on the 13th.

Music will help them: football teams of France and the Netherlands

The talent of Zinedine Zidane and the agility of Fabien Barthez definitely helped France to become the World Cup in 1998. However, musical ritual also contributed to the French victory. In the locker room, they listened to the same song - I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor. The hit of 1978 returned twenty years later thanks to defenseman Vincent Candela, who played the composition at full volume for his teammates.

The Dutch national team in 1974 shocked the world with a spectacular game at the World Cup in Germany. Despite the loss of Rinus Michels' charges in the final match, the team was greeted as winners at home. Those closest to the national team knew that the secret of the players' success was hidden not only in the ingenious play on the field. Throughout the tournament, the Dutch national team listened to the songs of the rock group The Cats on the bus.

The power of literature: Tim Green, Andre Agassi and Gennaro Gattuso

The famous American football player Tim Green attracted fortune, memorizing articles of the criminal code on the eve of important matches. The athlete believed that this gives him confidence in his own abilities. The observance of the ritual proved to be beneficial not only on the football field: after completing his professional career, Green graduated from law school.

Tennis player Andre Agassi is the winner of four Grand Slam tournaments and the owner of Olympic gold. Before important matches, the athlete re-read philosophical works. And he even memorized some sayings and spoke in a whisper during the submission.

Gennaro Gattuso, ex-footballer of the Italian and Milan national teams, turned to classical Russian literature before matches. He was particularly fond of the novels of Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Kiss for good luck: Laurent Blanc

The captain of the French national team Laurent Blanc always kissed goalkeeper Fabien Barthez on his bald head before the match. Perhaps this is what helped the French to win the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Interestingly, after Blanc left the sport, Barthez did not allow anyone to kiss his head.

Faith in the horoscope: Raymond Domenech

The coach of the French national team was also superstitious. Raymond Domenech, opredividing the squad into the game, he was guided not only by the physical and moral preparation of the athletes, but also by the zodiac sign under which his wards were born.

Red-haired footballer and taboo on women: Valery Lobanovskiy

Dynamo coach Valery Lobanovskiy had many signs that he believed in. So many that you can write an entire book. For example, a man was always the last to get off the bus, and on the way from the dressing room to the field, he tried not to step on cracks in the roads and markings on the playground. Lobanovsky also believed that the team would become more successful if it included at least one red-haired footballer.

Also, the Dynamo management tried to keep girls away from the club, because they believed that a woman was in trouble. The base of football players has also undergone changes due to signs. There are only 12 rooms on each floor of the building, there is no room at number 13 at all.

Right step: Ronaldo

Ronaldo - two-time world champion in football, winner of many awards and one of the brightest stars of Brazilian football. And he also has his own signs. For example, one of his rituals is to always enter the field with the right foot.

Hats: Andy Roddick, Lev Yashin and Amadeo Carriso

American Andy Roddick always goes to court wearing a baseball cap with a visor forward. When he realizes that the match is going badly, he flips the visor back.

Legend of Russian sports Lev Yashin for many years entered the field wearing the same happy cap. The footballer was presented with it in Czechoslovakia during a tour with Dynamo in 1953. This cap has become a real goalkeeper's mascot. Probably, Yashin entered the field in it for practical purposes. After all, the visor perfectly protected from the sun's rays, and the headdress itself - from rain, cold and wind.

The famous Argentine goalkeeper Amadeo Carriso, who defended the River Plate goal more than 500 times between 1945 and 1968, did not take off his baseball cap day and night - even while sleeping!Only twice did a football player forget to wear a hat and both times River Plate lost.