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Chris Smalling recently confirmed that he has been vegan for “nearly 10 years.”
The footballer made the comments in a short video for his new club, Portugal’s FC Porto, which has won all seven league games this season. Smalling, a former Manchester United and England defender, joined FC Porto earlier this month.
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In the video, Smalling lists “three things you probably don’t know about me.”
These include that he was a judo world champion by the time he was 15; he nearly never became a professional footballer, and was about to go to university when he was signed by Fulham at 18; and that he is a longtime vegan.
“I’m a vegan,” Smalling said. “Maybe nearly ten years now.”
He has previously explained that he first cut out red meat, then adopted a plant-based diet to improve his recovery time, and has credited being vegan with reducing inflammation and extending his longevity as a footballer. However, he has also clarified that animal welfare is now a key motivator for his dedication to veganism.
In a 2019 video for PETA, Smalling explained that cutting out animal products has helped to ease his tendonitis, but said, “ultimately, it was the animal welfare that kicked me on to make sure this is my lifestyle now.”
The year before, Smalling and his dogs, Ruben and Miley, appeared in a separate PETA video to highlight the danger of leaving animals in hot parked cars.
Read more: Can Footballers Really Thrive On A Plant-Based Diet?
Can vegan footballers thrive?
Smalling is far from the only footballer to embrace a fully plant-based diet. Pioneers such as Neil Robinson established meat-free diets within the sport as early as the 1970s, while players like Héctor Bellerín and Christian Burgess are vegan now.
Bellerín, who has been celebrated for his commitment to sustainability, has also praised veganism’s impact on his health, while Burgess, who has been vegan for more than seven years, has stated that he went vegan to fight the climate crisis.
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