Traditional Supplements Behind Argentina’s Success in the 2022 World Cup

DBasia.news – There are many factors that have made the Argentina National Team qualify for the 2022 World Cup final. In addition to the quality of the team, the completeness of nutrition to support the players’ performances must also be considered.

Related to this, Argentina along with a number of other teams from South America have a mainstay supplement which is in the form of a herbal drink called Yerba mate.

Yerba mate is one of the traditional drinks made from native plants such as tea. This plant is popular in Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina.

This drink is said to have high properties and functions to support the performance of athletes, including footballers.

According to a New York Times report, the Argentina squad brought 498 kg of Yerba mate to Qatar. This amount is the highest among other representatives of South America.

As an illustration, the Brazilian group only brought 11.8 kg of yerba mate. While Uruguay with 240 kg.

Maybe this is the reason why Argentina continues to appear spartan even though they lost [the first game]. Conversely, the lack of supply of yerba mate could also be the reason for the premature elimination of Uruguay and Brazil.

Many people consider Yerba mate to be similar to green tea. But in taste and function, it is distinct.

President of the National Institute of Yerba Mate in Argentina, Juan Jose Szychowski explains this drink in detail. Yerba mate turns out to have quite a deep meaning.

“If you start drinking, you won’t stop and it’s more than just a habit. When someone comes over, we tell them to drink it because it fosters togetherness and is something that is good for health,” says Szychowski.

Yerba mate has many variants. some are with stalks (milder taste), without stems (stronger, more bitter taste) and with added flavors.

The traditional way to drink it is by using a cup from a hollow flask and siphoning it through a straw. But there are also those who use a thermos of hot water.

Yerba mate seems to be getting more and more popular after the 2022 World Cup. Especially if Argentina finally becomes  victorious.