Footballers Who Play Padel: The Complete Guide

Footballers Who Play Padel: The Complete Guide

Padel culture · Footballers · Football fan guides · Updated June 2026

Footballers who play, invest in or are strongly linked with padel include Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Dalot, David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Xavi Hernández, Sergio Agüero, Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappé.

Padel has moved from niche racket sport to global lifestyle movement, and footballers have driven a large part of that shift. Some are playing daily. Some have invested millions. Some have brought padel into Premier League training grounds. This guide covers who, what and why — with sources.

Football club fan guides: padel culture by team

Why footballers love padel

Competitive

Footballers are wired for scores and pressure. Padel gives them a match environment without needing a full squad.

Social

Padel is normally doubles — partners, tactics and team energy. The dressing-room feeling in a smaller space.

Body-friendly

Retired footballers can compete without the collision load, sprint volume or injury risk of football.

Tactically familiar

Angles, patience, court position, partner communication — footballers recognise all of it.

Cristiano Ronaldo: the biggest footballer-padel story

Ronaldo is the most documented footballer-padel connection by a significant margin. In 2024, he purchased 100% of the Lisbon Racket Centre in Portugal. In 2025, he co-funded the “Cidade do Padel” (City of Padel) complex in Oeiras — 17 courts including a 2,000-seat central court, at a combined investment of approximately €5 million.

Ricardo Oliveira, president of the Portuguese Padel Federation, stated that Ronaldo “plays padel almost daily.” In September 2024, Ronaldo was filmed playing a training match with world number one Arturo Coello. He then livestreamed the Premier Padel Riyadh Finals to his 73-million-subscriber YouTube channel — the first time a footballer had used personal social media to broadcast a professional padel event.

The FPP president summarised his impact: “Cristiano’s involvement won’t just change padel in Portugal — it will change it globally.”

Diogo Dalot: the most active Premier League padel player

Dalot is the clearest active connection between current Premier League football and padel. The Manchester United right-back co-founded a padel club in Porto, with advice from fellow padel investor Zlatan Ibrahimović. He gave an interview to Premier League TV at a padel centre specifically about the sport’s growth, and his Instagram bio includes @padelathleticclub as a sponsored partnership.

When Manchester United’s £50 million Carrington training ground revamp was being planned, the players were asked what they wanted. According to Goal.com’s inside tour of the facility, the squad unanimously petitioned for a padel court — with Dalot leading the push. The court was included in the August 2025 reopening, confirmed by ESPN alongside a high-altitude chamber, sleep pods and an F1 simulator.

Dalot’s former manager Rubén Amorim was also a confirmed padel player during his time at Old Trafford. After his departure from the club in January 2026, Amorim was photographed playing padel in Lisbon with Manchester City sporting director Hugo Viana — an image published by Padel Expo that made football news across Europe.

Footballers linked with padel: full table

Footballer Padel connection Evidence level
Cristiano Ronaldo Invested €5m in the Lisbon Racket Centre and City of Padel complex; plays almost daily; played world no.1 Coello; livestreamed Premier Padel on YouTube Well sourced — Portuguese Padel Federation, Goal.com, Padel Magazine, Sportico
Diogo Dalot Co-owns padel club in Porto; led Carrington padel court petition; Premier League TV padel interview; @padelathleticclub partner Well sourced — Goal.com, ESPN, Tribuna, ManUtd.com
Zlatan Ibrahimović Associated with Padel Zenter and padel facilities in Sweden and Italy; advised Dalot on padel club setup Well sourced — Swedish media, Tribuna
Zinedine Zidane Investor in multi-court padel complex in France (France 98-branded project) Sourced — AS (Spain)
Xavi Hernández Played padel at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca Sourced — AS
David Beckham Linked with luxury padel culture and high-end padel circles; connected with Miami padel scene Media coverage — specific sourcing varies
Lionel Messi Connected with Hexagon Cup celebrity team ecosystem Media coverage — specific sourcing varies
Sergio Agüero Hexagon Cup team ownership — his team was beaten by Andy Murray and Anthony Joshua in the 2026 Madrid final Sourced — Times of India, Hexagon Cup
Kylian Mbappé Reported in European media as part of the footballer-padel trend Media coverage — general trend reporting
Robert Lewandowski Linked with the padel investor landscape in Poland and Spain Media coverage — general trend reporting

Evidence levels vary. Some connections are documented investments and confirmed activity. Others are from media trend pieces where the footballer is named as part of the wider padel movement. This table treats them separately.

The Carrington padel court: padel enters Premier League training

The August 2025 opening of Manchester United’s revamped Carrington training facility was a landmark moment for football-padel crossover. A padel court was included at the players’ specific request — not a management decision, but a petition from the squad, with Dalot leading the push and Amorim backing it.

This matters beyond Man United. It shows padel is no longer just something footballers do on holiday or in retirement. It is now being written into elite club infrastructure.

Zidane, Zlatan and the business of padel

Zinedine Zidane invested in a multi-court padel complex in France under the France 98 branding — linking his World Cup-winning identity with the sport. Zlatan Ibrahimović has been associated with Padel Zenter in Sweden and Italy, and went further by advising Diogo Dalot directly when Dalot set up his Porto padel club.

These are not passive connections. Zidane and Zlatan are using football legacy to build padel infrastructure in their home markets.

The Hexagon Cup: where football stars meet padel

The Hexagon Cup has become one of padel’s most visible celebrity crossover events. Teams are backed by or associated with figures from football, tennis, boxing and entertainment. In the 2026 Madrid final, Sergio Agüero’s team lost to the side associated with Andy Murray and Anthony Joshua.

That format — celebrity team ownership, competitive doubles play, high-profile venue — is how many people outside core padel culture encounter the sport for the first time. Football names like Messi and Agüero are central to that.

What footballers can teach padel beginners

  • Move before the shot: good footwork gives you time to play the right ball.
  • Talk to your partner: padel is a team sport, not two singles players sharing a court.
  • Use the middle: controlling central space makes everything easier, just like in football.
  • Recover after every shot: do not admire your shot; get back into position immediately.
  • Play the percentage: the smart option beats the spectacular mistake every time.
  • Build the point: not every ball is there to be finished — wait for the right one.

The Corcuera view

Footballers made padel aspirational. Football fans are making it cultural. The first game is fun, the doubles format feels social, and the clothing gives players a way to bring their identity onto court.

Shop padel clothing Start playing padel
Gunners Padel Club T-shirt Red Devils Old Trafford Player Shirt Poznan Padel Club T-shirt

Football-inspired padelwear. Not official Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest or any football club merchandise.

FAQs: footballers playing padel

+Which footballers play padel?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Dalot are the best-documented active padel players from football. Ronaldo plays almost daily, invested €5m in padel facilities in Portugal and played world number one Arturo Coello. Dalot co-owns a padel club in Porto. Others linked with the sport include Beckham, Messi, Zidane, Zlatan, Xavi, Agüero, Lewandowski and Mbappé.

+Does Cristiano Ronaldo play padel?

Yes. Ronaldo invested around €5 million in the Lisbon Racket Centre and the City of Padel complex in Oeiras, Portugal. The Portuguese Padel Federation president confirmed he plays almost daily. In September 2024, he played a training match with world number one Arturo Coello, and he livestreamed Premier Padel tournaments on his YouTube channel to tens of millions of viewers.

+Does Diogo Dalot play padel?

Yes. Dalot is one of the most documented padel players in the Premier League. He co-owns a padel club in Porto, gave an interview to Premier League TV at a padel centre, and led the player petition for a padel court at Manchester United’s revamped £50m Carrington training ground (opened August 2025).

+Is there a padel court at Manchester United’s training ground?

Yes. The revamped Carrington training centre reopened in August 2025 after a £50 million redevelopment and includes a padel court. It was added at the players’ specific request, led by Diogo Dalot, with manager Rubén Amorim also a keen padel player.

+Did Zlatan Ibrahimović invest in padel?

Yes. Zlatan has been associated with Padel Zenter and padel facilities in Sweden and Italy. He also advised Diogo Dalot directly when Dalot set up his Porto padel club, showing his active involvement in the sport’s business side.

+Does Zinedine Zidane play padel?

Zidane has been linked with a multi-court padel investment in France under the France 98 branding. He is one of several football legends using their name and capital to build padel infrastructure in their home markets.

+Why do footballers like padel?

Padel rewards footwork, anticipation, teamwork and tactical patience — all familiar to footballers. It is also easier on the body than football, works well for social doubles, and has the competitive match feeling that ex-professionals miss when they retire.

+Do football fans play padel?

Yes, and in growing numbers. Padel is social, accessible and competitive in a way that feels natural to football supporters. Corcuera’s football-inspired padel guides cover Arsenal, Man United, Nottingham Forest and Man City fan culture on the padel court.

Sources

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