Noussair Mazraoui and Ramadan: How does the Manchester United star find a balance?

We are currently in the holy month of Ramadan and United’s right-back Noussair Mazraoui is one of millions around the world observing fasting in daylight hours for the month.

Ramadan is one of the most important months on the Islamic calendar, holding great significance for Muslims worldwide, and when fasting, Muslims abstain from food, drink, and all bad actions with the intention of increasing awareness of God. Muslims also attend nighttime communal prayers at the mosque, sometimes ending late.

Noussair Mazraoui has played three games so far for Manchester United in Ramadan, completing all three in full, including extra time against Fulham. More impressively, he has been one of United’s standout performers in all three games, being in a state of fasting for most of them.

There have been breaks in play during games where iftar – the time at which Muslims break fast – falls during the game, and Mazraoui has been seen breaking his fast with a date, a Prophetic tradition, and some fluids to help him see through the game.

As a professional footballer – at Premier League level especially – the food and drink aspect creates a challenge for players such as Mazraoui and many non-Muslim wonder how they balance this with their careers, due to the physical exertion training and playing requires.

There are two angles from which this can be approached, and UtdDistrict explain them in this article.

Access to relevant experts, body adjusting

Given it was found that United had a £175,000 a year body language consultant on their books when INEOS took over, you’d expect that a professional sporting institution would have relevant experts in place that can support players through periods such as Ramadan.

Whilst United are not as advanced in this department as they should be, Mazraoui does have access to high-level sports scientists, nutritionists, and any other relevant experts who help to manage his nutrition and schedule during Ramadan.

He will be given guidance on what to eat at suhoor – the pre-dawn meal – in order to keep him well-energised and hydrated for the day, and iftar time to replenish him and make sure his nutrition is sufficient for him.

He will also receive advice on his general daily schedule in order to stay well-rested and boost his recovery from matches, especially as he attends prayers at night. The club will also tailor his training schedule so that he is well-recovered and prepared for games whilst not overly exerting himself.

Another key consideration is, given he has been fasting from a young age and now has years of experience at the top level of professional football, Mazraoui’s body has adjusted to the demands and he is now comfortable with fasting whilst playing. The fasts this year are shorter, too, which makes it easier for him.

The human body is also much more capable when it comes to fasting than people realise. Mazraoui said in an interview at their previous club, Bayern Munich, that “many people don’t know what their body is capable of.”

Spiritual strength and belief

Muslims fast solely for the sake of Allah and hold the belief that when you do something with such a pure intention, Allah puts blessing into what you do and Muslims find strength in this belief when fasting.

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Mazraoui himself has echoed this belief, saying in the aforementioned interview “It doesn’t affect my performance — sometimes, I even perform better during Ramadan. Because it is a holy month. My faith gives me strength and also drives me on the pitch.”

The Moroccan is very open about his faith and the importance it holds in his life. In a recent Q&A with members of the Manchester United Muslim Supporters’ Club, he touched upon it and spoke about Ramadan, how faith has guided him through difficult times in his life, and about smaller prayers and supplications being a key part of his routine before games.

Through his faith, Mazraoui unlocks an extra level of strength, which helps give him that extra push through the physical challenge of fasting as a Premier League footballer, enabling him to strike a key balance between the professional and the personal.

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