Padel continues to attract football stars. This time, it's  Eder Militao  who was seen with a racket in hand. The Brazilian defender for Real Madrid seemed to have enjoyed his time on the court:  "It's hilarious." He explained this in particular regarding his experience. This is further proof of the increasingly close ties between professional football and padel, especially within the Madrid dressing room.

Militão discovers the joys of 20×10

When they leave the football pitch, some Real Madrid players clearly don't stay away from the ball... or the racket for very long.

 Eder Militao  is the latest Madrid native to be spotted on a padel court. The Brazilian tried his hand at the 20x10 format and seems to have quickly taken to the game.

He thus joins a list of Real Madrid players regularly associated with playing padel in their free time.  Vinícius Júnior, Federico Valverde, Álvaro Carreras and even Trent Alexander-Arnold  are among the names mentioned in connection with this growing passion.

This phenomenon is ultimately not very surprising. Padel now occupies a considerable place in Spain, and Madrid has become one of the world's major centers for the sport.

Football and padel, an almost natural marriage

There are many connections between football and padel. The two disciplines share certain qualities: explosiveness, changes of direction, reading trajectories, coordination and a taste for duels.

But padel has one major advantage for footballers: its side  social and fun On a 20-meter by 10-meter track, the four players are constantly involved and can quickly have fun, even without possessing extensive technical experience.

For professional athletes accustomed to the daily pressure and demands of the highest level, the discipline can thus constitute a particularly attractive leisure activity.

Real Madrid and padel: a growing story

Seeing Real Madrid players take an interest in padel also illustrates the spectacular evolution of the sport in Spain. Padel has long since transcended the status of a niche sport to become a truly mass-market activity.

And the Madrid dressing room also seems to be affected by the phenomenon.

Federico Valverde remains part of the Real Madrid squad, where the Uruguayan international has played since 2018. Militão also plays for a team that now includes, among others...  Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold , two other names associated with this new Madrid generation.

Could we one day imagine a padel match composed entirely of Real Madrid players?

With  Vinícius, Valverde, Carreras, Alexander-Arnold and now Militão There would already be plenty to organize some great games.

And perhaps discover who the best padel player in the Madrid dressing room really is.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

On the same subject