Brazilian forward Hulk recorded his weight before and after playing 90 minutes during Atletico Mineiro’s 2-1 win over Tombense on Sunday – and the results were dramatic.
Hulk, 36, is Atletico Mineiro’s star player and scored the winning goal in the 89th minute at the Estadio Soares de Azevedo in Muriae, Minas Gerais.
The former FC Porto and Brazil star produced a typically emphatic finish into the roof of the net with his powerful left foot.
The match was played at 11am in the morning, presumably in a bid to avoid the hottest part of the day.
However, temperatures still reached 30 degree Celsius during the game.
Hulk’s dramatic weight loss during Atletico Mineiro match
Hulk weighed himself prior to kick-off and the scales read 97.6 kg.
He hopped on the scales again after full-time and now weighed 91.9 kg.
That means that Hulk lost a staggering 5.7 kg in less than two hours. Madness.
Footage was posted on social media and you can watch it here:
Hulk weighed 97.6 kg prior to Atlético Mineiro’s match against Tombense.
After playing the full 90 minutes and scoring a goal and an assist, he weighed 91.9 kg after the match.
That’s 5.7 kg lost in one game.
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) January 30, 2023
How did Hulk lose so much weight?
Globo Esporte say this was due to the dehydration process as a result of the conditions the game was played in.
There was also a downpour of rain towards the end of the match, which meant the pitch became even harder to run on for the players.
HULK, INCREÍBLE PERO REAL 😱
El delantero brasileño perdió casi 6 kilos luego del partido ante Tombense, según los registros del Atlético Mineiro.
▶️ El partido se jugó a las 11 de la mañana con 30 grados de temperatura y anotó un gol ⚽ pic.twitter.com/nDPDMlQ2h3
— TNT Sports Argentina (@TNTSportsAR) January 31, 2023
Hulk made headlines for similar reasons in 2022
This is the second time in the past 12 months that Hulk has made headlines for shedding weight during a match.
Back in July, Hulk claimed that he also went from 97 kg to 91 kg following a clash against Flamengo at the Maracana.
“Since I arrived at Atletico Mineiro, that was the game in which I was the most dehydrated. Today I lost six kilos,” the veteran forward said after the game, per Marca.
“It was exhausting. I was tired. I started the match with 97 kilos and finished it with 91.”
Hulk missed the team’s flight home after requiring four hours to urinate for an anti-doping test, despite drinking 30 litres of water.
“I fell into the anti-doping test. I was there for four hours, I drank 30 litres of water,” he added. “But it was hard for me to urinate. In the end, it worked and now I just want to get home.”
Read more: Hulk missed team’s flight home after taking four hours to urinate
Even if footballers live a privileged life most of the team, stories like Hulk’s prove it’s not always a walk in the park.
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