2025-02-24, 12:33 PM - Word count:
Last time, I wrote about my daily routine on a weekday. Well, weekends aren’t any easier. In fact, they’re worse.
The alarm still goes off at 3 AM. No difference there. I roll out of bed, throw on my training gear, and grab a quick breakfast. At 4 AM sharp, Vinnie Jones is outside, waiting. Just like always, no honking, no texts, he’s just there.
We start with stretching, then cardio, just like on weekdays. Except this time, it lasts much longer. And by longer, I mean it feels never-ending. Running through Istanbul at this hour might sound peaceful, but not when Vinnie is there, making sure I don’t slack off for even a second. By the time we finish, my legs already feel like bricks.
Then it’s straight into one on one drills. This part is useful because Vinnie is a defender himself. He knows every dirty trick in the book and doesn’t hold back. I try to get past him, and he makes sure I don’t. Every mistake I make? He lets me hear it. Loudly.
After that, we grab a quick meal. Nothing big, training isn’t over yet. Since there’s no FC Istanbul team training on weekends, me and Vinnie keep going. This is when we focus on technical work, shooting, first touch, movement. We still use the team training ground for this. Once that’s done, it’s off to the gym. This might not seem like much, but he pushes me to my absolute limit on weekends. The sessions are brutal and last way longer than they should.
Once that’s finally over, it’s time for dinner. Usually steak. Then some time to relax. Sounds nice, right? Wrong. A few hours later, Vinnie shows up again, this time with a USB stick. We sit down and analyze our next opponent’s previous games, focusing on the defenders I’ll be up against. If the training was good, he brings beer. If not, just the film session.
By 9 PM, he’s gone, and I’m straight to bed. No late nights, no going out. Because at 3 AM, the alarm goes off again. No exceptions.
The alarm still goes off at 3 AM. No difference there. I roll out of bed, throw on my training gear, and grab a quick breakfast. At 4 AM sharp, Vinnie Jones is outside, waiting. Just like always, no honking, no texts, he’s just there.
We start with stretching, then cardio, just like on weekdays. Except this time, it lasts much longer. And by longer, I mean it feels never-ending. Running through Istanbul at this hour might sound peaceful, but not when Vinnie is there, making sure I don’t slack off for even a second. By the time we finish, my legs already feel like bricks.
Then it’s straight into one on one drills. This part is useful because Vinnie is a defender himself. He knows every dirty trick in the book and doesn’t hold back. I try to get past him, and he makes sure I don’t. Every mistake I make? He lets me hear it. Loudly.
After that, we grab a quick meal. Nothing big, training isn’t over yet. Since there’s no FC Istanbul team training on weekends, me and Vinnie keep going. This is when we focus on technical work, shooting, first touch, movement. We still use the team training ground for this. Once that’s done, it’s off to the gym. This might not seem like much, but he pushes me to my absolute limit on weekends. The sessions are brutal and last way longer than they should.
Once that’s finally over, it’s time for dinner. Usually steak. Then some time to relax. Sounds nice, right? Wrong. A few hours later, Vinnie shows up again, this time with a USB stick. We sit down and analyze our next opponent’s previous games, focusing on the defenders I’ll be up against. If the training was good, he brings beer. If not, just the film session.
By 9 PM, he’s gone, and I’m straight to bed. No late nights, no going out. Because at 3 AM, the alarm goes off again. No exceptions.
