England's secret World Cup weapon? South American 'mate' tea
England might not be expected to play like Argentina at this summer's World Cup - but at least they could be drinking like them.
Eric Dier has revealed that a herb-infused drink called mate - which originated in Paraguay, but has now spread to Argentina, Brazil and several other South American countries - has become a staple part of the diet of England's Tottenham contingent, under the influence of their Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino.
“At Tottenham quite a lot of the players have started drinking it," Dier said. "I am a bit addicted to it now.
“With Tottenham, we have a lot of Argentinians so I started drinking it with them and now the English players are trying to pretend to be South Americans. Danny Rose and I have a quiet one in our room sometimes when we're with England.”
Another member of England's Tottenham contingent - Dele Alli - is also a fan.
“I love it,” he says, “but Eric has to make it for me because I don’t know how.”
Mate, pronounced ‘ma-teh’, is similar to loose leaf tea, but made with ground up leaves from a holly plant called ‘yerba mate’. Traditionally, the leaves are dried, chopped, ground and steeped in hot water, before being filtered out. The water must be hot (around 70 degrees celsius), but not boiling, according to mate expert David Askaripour.
The drink is prepared in a hollow ‘gourd’ and must be drunk through a metal straw, called a ‘bombilla’.
A firm favourite of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Edinson Cavani and even Diego Maradona, the South American staple has been slower to take off in Europe.
Jo Travers, The London Nutritionist and author of The Low-Fad Diet says: “Mate is actually quite beneficial as a drink. The polyphenols and saponins (plant compounds) are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory - a bit like green tea.
“It has more caffeine than a regular cup of tea, though, which helps reduce the perception of pain so can be useful in exercise as it gives a boost of energy and focus. Both would be helpful if you’re an international footballer.”
Mate is not the only unusual foreign influence in England's dressing room. Rose also revealed that he is a keen player of Uno, an American card game.
“Eric and I spend our afternoons playing Uno and drinking tea - it's a good way of spending an hour or two, just gossiping," Rose said. "That’s our secret.”
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