The weather, another rival for ‘la Roja’

The World Cup in Brazil kicked off at 10 p.m. last night with the hosts’ 3-1 victory over Croatia. Today it is the turn of the Spanish national team, in a climatic setting far removed from the cold and rainy weather of Curitiba, capital of the state of Paraná. The city is located almost 1,000 meters above sea level, with an average temperature in June of around 13ºC, well below the 25ºC of Salvador de Bahía, the scene of their first match against the Dutch team.

However, Dr. Ángel Bigas Bonamusa, a specialist in Sports Medicine and member of Top Doctors, believes that the changes in temperature between the Brazilian cities depend on planning. “Following a proper diet and a good muscle stretching program before and after training and matches, they should have no problems throughout the World Cup,” the doctor notes.

Dr. Bigas believes that European teams may have more problems than South American teams in adapting to the hot and humid climate of most World Cup host cities. According to the doctor, “the loss of fluids and mineral salts can be a predisposing factor for muscular injuries in the players’ legs.

Overworked players

Most of the stars of Brazil 2014 have been competing uninterruptedly at the highest level for almost 11 months. For Dr. Bigas, this factor poses a risk, since the excess of competitions and the fact that most of the players arrive very overloaded, “can lead to an increase in muscle injuries during the World Cup.”