At Real Madrid, everyone is well-versed about the qualities of Carlo Ancelotti, who has brought the best out of a club stacked with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicus Jnr, and recent signing Kylian Mbappe. But before each of them joined Los Blancos to hunt Champions League glory, none of them will have been quite expecting the velocity at which pre-season training under one of Ancelotti’s coaches is done.
Nevertheless, Mbappe has been thrown into the deep end during his first days with the Spanish giants. Known as ‘The Devil’ – a nickname bestowed upon him by Real Madrid’s own players – the notorious Pintus is an esteemed Italian fitness coach, widely recognized for his expertise in conditioning and physical training. Now tasked with getting match sharp under the relentless coach, Mbappe has already learnt why other players see Pintus as a hard taskmaster on the training ground.
Meet Antonio Pintus
He is loved, feared, and ever-present
A 60-year-old bald man of modest stature, Pintus is described by those who work with him as an unassuming and sometimes shy person. But when he gets onto the training ground, he certainly morphs into a whole other monster.
Real’s players adore him, just like the fans, but they also fear him professionally, and no better is this showcased than when Bellingham, in the post-match celebrations following the Champions League victory over Borussia Dortmund, couldn’t help but reminisce on how the legendary coach had ‘killed him’ in pre-season.
For Pintus, the focus of early pre-season training is aerobic preparation. The group does a lot of long runs. As the sessions go by, often two a day, the focus is redirected towards shorter and more explosive efforts. Strength training is also considered important and players’ weights are closely monitored.
But such is the intensity of his pre-season preparations, which has allowed him to also work closely with NASA to condition astronauts so that they’re fit to go to space, he is one of the most sought-after coaches in the beautiful game – and his feared reputation is known globally.
The ‘Pintus Mask’ Explained
Technology plays a special role in his ideology
Pintus has been hailed for being an important cog since the late-2010s, helping Real Madrid to conquer the continent just as they did in the 90s. In Pintus’ methodology, technology and data analysis play a very important role: everything is collected, studied and used to inform plans.
One of the tools used this pre-season is a special mask that helps staff judge the physical condition of players. The mask is used to record and analyse their oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and, based on their percentages, he can personalise their training programmes. Real posted images of players wearing the masks on their social media channels last month.
The Italian has also co-authored academic papers studying heart rate responses during small-sided games and the relationship between repeated sprint ability, age and puberty in young players. The latter aimed to help coaches minimise the risk of injury and overtraining in players at different stages of their development.
In Layman’s terms, Pintus is dedicated to the external factors that lead to high-level performance. Without Pintus, Real Madrid would be a shell of their current selves, and it’s his relentless methods that could quite easily be described as the beating heart of a iconic football club sitting on the continent’s throne and looking for more ways to retain their position as world number ones.