Real Madrid’s players are currently training from home due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The man in charge of their new fitness plan is French sports scientist Grégory Dupont.
The training, nutrition and sports science at Madrid’s Valdebebas training facility has been greatly improved by new Head of Performance Dupont – the man recognised as being one of the key influences behind France’s World Cup success in 2018. Zinedine Zidane approached president Florentino Pérez in the summer of 2019 about hiring the French fitness guru to oversee Madrid’s physical performance operation. Eden Hazard worked alongside Dupont at Lille; a recognisable face that is working closely with the Belgian on his return from injury.
Zidane’s objective this season is winning La Liga but he is also aware that a nine-month-long season requires peak physical conditioning after witnessing his team’s sluggish campaign last season. Having been impressed with Dupont’s methods with Les Bleus, Zidane gave him a crucial role that is now paying off, leading to less injuries and more consistent results across the season.
Dupont has sent the whole squad strict personalised fitness plans that they can access from their smartphones. Most of the squad have home gyms. Sergio Ramos has a fully-equipped gym with kettlebells, weights and TRX training equipment. Karim Benzema uses a stair climber worth €9,500 and is known to listen to French rap while training in his Madrid home. Previously the Head of Sports Science at Celtic Football Club, Dupont is able to check in on the squad via GPS sports vests that give him access to data on each player.
