You may have noticed top footballers such as Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, and Roberto Firmino sipping on a drink from a strange-looking cup. This concoction is known as mate tea and drink that has swept the footballing world. Now, elite footballers from all over are enjoying mate tea.

So, what are footballers drinking mate tea?

Mate tea is a caffeinated drink with dried and chopped up yerba mate leaves. The drink became popular in South America and the Middle East where it has been enjoyed for generations.

The tea isn’t drunk just because of the sense heightening caffeine it contains. It has health benefits that provide the drinker with natural properties. The caffeinated drink provides stimulation to the drinker and increases focus. The caffeine-rich drink is great for players to have pre-match as the stimulant helps them compete for 90 minutes. It also enables individuals to sleep better.

Research has found that the drink’s polyphenol antioxidants influence weight loss in the same way that green tea helps individuals burn calories. Mate tea also contains vitamins B and C. These vitamins are great for metabolism and the immune system.

The tea drink contains 196 active compounds and minerals. These items help improve the body and increase bone strength. Mate tea also heals wounds. This can be very important for players coming back from an injury such as a strained or torn muscle. Food is also made into energy courtesy of the tea.

Mate tea is said to be the secret weapon for successful footballers. Is it really the secret weapon or do good footballers just happen to drink the tea? It could just be a coincidence.

So, should you add mate tea to your diet? It could improve your performances but it isn’t likely to make you into the next Messi.