Protein powder or not, we don't know but one thing for sure, top level footballers have to lead a pretty clean life in the sense that the food intake, the drinks, their lifestyle and etc all are optimised. Was reading an article that Robin Van Persie don't eat meat after a game coz his recovery is slower after taking them. The days of boozy night of the top players are gone i guess, and no ciggies for them too, that is if you want to play till you're 30's. Thing is, these players are like machines nowadays, a change in lifestyle will result in a 2-3% performance gain in their gameplay.

Just a point to note, i dont think players actually need to build up their body. They are just that fit, you'd be amazed at their fat percentage and heart rate. Besides, they don't need to bulk up on their size just to be good, football is not all about who's got the most muscle.

Micah Richards!

But anyways, the demands of the gung ho EPL physical play, definitely every player needs to bulk up on their muscles. Else, you'd be flying all over the place. Imagine Sol Campbell or Micah Richards coming at you at full steam, you'd literally fly. Much like how Rooney literally made one of the Malaysian players flew a good 1.5-2 meter away when he unsportingly body checked the Malaysia dude during the Man Utd's 2nd game on Monday.

At the same time, you can't be body building when you're playing competetive football. Excessive muscle might make you a little less flexible and eve if you're half a second slower to react, its gonna punish you during the game. Not to mention the excessive muscle equals to more weight. When you're heavier, you're slower, its as simple as that. Which is why clubs have physio and team doctors that will assess your optimum body weight, muscle mass and etc.

Players got to watch their diet, as simple as that. I remembered reading an article about Vidic and how he loves the English fish and chips but sadly he can't eat them and that shows how committed he is to being an athletic person. Similarly, Robin Van Persie doesnt eat meat after a game coz he says that helps him recover from matches faster than usual.

Mike,
Heard that your solid body is a result of years of strict diet and weight training regime. Every inch of your body is built and developed to perform 100% on the futsal pitch.