More and more football players are using Whoop wristbands

Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cody Gakpo, and Cristiano Ronaldo: all of these athletes (the most famous among football players) take on the ninety minutes of the match wearing a bracelet produced by a company called Whoop. It is a wearable device for fitness, unique in its kind. It offers continuous monitoring of physiological data: heart rate, respiratory rate, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, as well as daily activity and sleep, helping athletes (or anyone who chooses to use it) to better understand their health and overall well-being. Whoop became prominent in football during Euro2024 thanks to CR7 (global ambassador and investor since June 2024), when he posted data on his X account, stating that the heart rate of the 39-year-old had dropped moments before scoring Portugal's first penalty in the shootout. The data showed his heart rate peaked at the end of extra time, exceeding 180 beats per minute, before dropping below 100 bpm as he prepared to take the penalty, and rising again to 180 bpm when Bernardo Silva sealed the victory in the shootout.

However, the published data did not include Ronaldo's heart rate when Jan Oblak saved his penalty just before halftime in extra time, an episode that brought him to tears, nor during his four missed free kicks throughout the match. Ronaldo and Whoop, which had revealed details about Van Dijk's sleep metrics at the start of Euro2024, were accused on X of ambush marketing (improper brand association with a media event or public space) for publishing data related to tournament matches. Wearable devices are allowed in football, but the data published by Whoop did not directly mention the Euros, which would have constituted a violation of UEFA’s intellectual property, as also highlighted by the Telegraph. 

“Whoop has had a transformative impact on my life both on and off the field,” Cristiano Ronaldo said this summer, continuing: “I wear Whoop while I train, sleep, and recover. It has been one of the most important tools I’ve tested, helping me improve my game and monitor my health.” Next time Liverpool and Al-Nassr take the field, keep an eye on Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil Van Dijk, and Cody Gakpo: they usually wear the Whoop band underneath a white strap.