Real Madrid could be about to go stratospheric.
They recently surpassed €1billion ($1.1bn; £844million) in revenue for the 2023-24 season and boast a squad valued at €1.8bn by the CIES Football Observatory. Now, space might be the next frontier thanks to a partnership between their physical trainer Antonio Pintus and NASA.
Pintus has been working with the space agency as part of the Artemis programme, which plans to return humans to the moon for the first time since 1972. The Italian has visited the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to give talks about how his methods could be applied to their work and how astronauts can keep fit on missions.
A key figure at Madrid, Pintus’ approach combines technology and data analysis. Players call him ‘the sergeant’ because of the intensity of his training but have a lot of respect and affection for him. He was recently appointed the club’s performance director as well as head fitness coach, showing the status he holds.
The relationship between Pintus and NASA started last summer when Madrid were touring the United States in pre-season. Carlos Garcia-Galan, a Spanish engineer at the agency, was invited to a Madrid training session in Houston after getting to know club legend and ambassador Emilio Butragueno on a previous tour.
“I was introduced to Antonio and he told me that he was very interested in NASA’s missions,” Garcia-Galan tells The Athletic. “During that training session, we spoke for only 10 minutes, but we immediately saw there were many topics on which we agreed and that we could do something (together).”
Garcia-Galan works on the Orion spacecraft programme, part of the Artemis campaign. NASA’s goal is to go to the moon every year and it consulted Pintus as it wants to ensure its physical preparation is “state of the art” for these missions.
Pintus visited the Johnson Space Center — where astronauts are trained — during an international break a few months after that first meeting with Garcia-Galan. He spent a week there, visiting the laboratories and training centre, seeing first-hand the astronauts’ preparation and riding in a simulator of the vehicle that will be used in the Orion mission. He also spoke to employees from all NASA departments.
Pintus trying out a NASA vehicle (NASA)
“You can’t get any better than Real Madrid when it comes to demonstrating athletic performance,” says Judith Hayes, NASA’s chief science officer in charge of human health and performance. “He has a wealth of experience, even beyond athletics.
“He became very, very popular — he has quite a presence. Our scientists, exercise physiologists, astronauts, physicians, trainers, and engineers hung on every word that he had to share with us. He was able to challenge our people and our thinking. It made us think about different ways to look at things.”
A lack of room in spacecraft means astronauts can’t exercise as much as they would like. Pintus’ visit led NASA’s team of engineers to consider whether they might be able to develop machines or specific exercises that could be incorporated into astronauts’ routines in space.
“Astronauts do not have to be like athletes, but the same methods can still work,” Garcia-Galan says. “We were interested in investigating that a bit more.”
NASA was impressed by how Pintus uses data in his work to determine each player’s physical condition. Helped by assistants Giuseppe Bellistri and Sebastien Devillaz, his team manage an extensive database that allows them to prepare for the demands of each season.
Pintus sends Madrid’s players individualised plans during the holidays. Last summer, he used special masks to record the squad’s oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to personalise their training programmes.
The Italian puts Jude Bellingham and Co through their paces (Gerard Franco/Dax Images)
Garcia-Galan and Hayes say it is something that could be incorporated into astronauts’ preparation before missions to improve their fitness.
“I admire a lot of the data that he has, real-time, on his phone,” says Hayes. “We were thrilled that he was sharing with us the kinds of things that he monitors in his athletes. I was especially excited because every day he got his phone out and he was able to see the data of his athletes and how well they were doing.
“Even though he wasn’t there, he was keeping track of them. Our goals are a little different — but it was good that we participated in this technical exchange of ideas because it certainly challenges our status quo.”
This is not the first time NASA has turned to sports to improve its methods.
The agency works informally with professional teams in Texas, including the Houston Texans in the NFL, the Astros in MLB, the Rockets in NBA and Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. It has also worked with various universities and collegiate teams across the world.
“We’re always looking for the best there is when it comes to engineers and pilots who can be astronauts; Antonio falls into that category,” says Garcia-Galan. “But I don’t remember anything this extensive (with a sports team) being done.”
The partnership with Pintus continues today: Garcia-Galan visited the team’s Chicago training camp on Monday. Madrid travelled there on Saturday as they prepare for games against AC Milan (Chicago) on Wednesday, Barcelona (East Rutherford, New Jersey) on Saturday and Chelsea (Charlotte, North Carolina) next Tuesday before the season gets under way with the European Super Cup against Atalanta on August 14.
Pintus at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas (NASA)
“We’re now evaluating which areas of study we would be interested in exploring together,” says Garcia-Galan. “We could go to a conference and present something together — like what football methods can be used to train astronauts or vice versa. Some astronauts met him and were also interested in what he has to offer.”
So, could we soon see Pintus leading a space mission himself at NASA?
“No, no,” says Garcia-Galan. “I’m sure he wants to stay at Real Madrid — and I don’t want him to leave either as a Madridista! He is always learning and innovating in his field. It’s about looking for angles of collaboration in which we can benefit and so can he.”
(Top photos by Angel Martinez/Getty Images, Carlos Garcia-Galan; design by Eamonn Dalton)
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