Everyone has heard of the classic football superstitions, whether it's lucky boots, socks or even pants - players are always looking for ways in which they can get fortune on their side.
Often they go completely unnoticed by most fans and many players refuse to even entertain the idea that superstitions can make any difference out on the pitch.
A few, however, take it to the extreme, with more than a fair share of high-profile names swearing by their downright bizarre practices ahead of kick-off.
Here, GIVEMESPORT runs you through 12 of the strangest pre-match rituals in football, ranging from shoelace shenanigans to timely toilet trips.
12 Gary Lineker's Shooting Snub
For a player who scored 331 goals across 654 competitive games, most wouldn't imagine Gary Lineker as someone worried about hitting the back of the net.
However, that's exactly what played on the mind of the former England striker every time he completed his warm-up before a game, so much so that he refused to shoot before a game for fear that he might 'waste' a goal.
Instead, the now-Match of the Day presenter preferred to save his shooting for the match - and based on his career record, it appears his tactic may not have been as wild as it seems.
11 Leighton Baines' Shoelace Strategy
Speaking of England internationals, Leighton Baines made 30 appearances for his country throughout his long career, and during that time he picked up a particular pre-game routine.
Every time he walked out onto the pitch, the former Everton left-back would untie his shoelaces, only to retie them immediately afterwards.
Perhaps unsuprisingly, there doesn't appear to be a specific reason for the superstition - when asked about it, Baines could offer no explanation himself for the odd quirk.
10 Rio Ferdinand's Tunnel Vision
During an interview with the Oxford Union, Ferdinand explained his intrinsically-detailed matchday preparation, including omelettes for breakfast and two-touch in the dressing room with Paul Scholes.
Where the build-up gets more unique is in the moments when the players walk out the tunnel, at which point Rio Ferdinand claims he used to "smash a bottle of water over my head" before crossing the white line on the side of the pitch.
He'd then have to jump over said line and sprint to the corner flag before he was finally ready to get going - it may seem unnecessary, but it clearly worked for him given the 10 major trophies he won whilst at Man United.
9 George Best's Chocolate Treat
Long before the days of specialist nutritionists and dietitians, football players were able to be far more liberal in terms of what they put in their body before a big game.
One of the most notorious in that respect was Man United and Northern Ireland legend George Best, who was no stranger to living life to the fullest, even in the midst of a professional career.
In fact, the winger reportedly used to chomp down on an entire chocolate bar before every single game, presumably giving him a sugar rush right when he needed it.
8 Kolo Toure's Last-Man Standing
Whilst lots of players have particularities about their pre-match preparation, few would sacrifice actually being out on the pitch for the sake of their superstitions.
Few, that is, apart from Kolo Toure, the former Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal defender whose commitment to always being the last out of the changing rooms once landed him in trouble.
Back in February 2009, William Gallas was receiving treatment at halftime of Arsenal's Champions League fixture against Roma, and with Toure keen to be last out, he remained in the dressing room even despite the game getting underway.
When he did return to the pitch, he was booked by the referee for entering without his permission, and you have to wonder what Arsene Wenger's reaction to the whole situation must have been.
7 Gary Neville's Toilet Trips
Gary Neville is known best nowadays for his punditry work with Sky Sports, but back in the day he was one of the Premier League's greatest players, as a key component of multiple title-winning teams.
Many might wonder what the secret to his success was - a certain training regime, diet, or just talent? It turns out it was none of those - instead, it was sitting on the toilet for 15 minutes before a game, in full kit, reading the matchday programme.
As strange as it may sound, writing on Man United's website Neville said...
When the boss finished his team-talk, I'd get my kit on and sit on the toilet, with the lid down, and read the programme in complete peace for 15 minutes. Tranquility. I did that every game.
6 Filippo Inzaghi's Biscuit Break
The Inzaghi brothers are arguably one of the most famous pairs of siblings in world football, with Simone the manager of Inter Milan, but it is Filippo's ritual whilst he was still playing that is most pertinent here.
Before every match the striker would reportedly tuck into a packet of baby biscuits in the dressing room, but always left two remaining in the packet each time.
Reminiscing on this, one of his former teammates, Pirlo said he remembered Inzaghi explaining: "that way the stars will stay aligned in my favour".
5 Johan Cruyff's Stomach Slap
Despite being one of the most talented players the world has ever seen, Johan Cruyff was no stranger to a pre-game ritual, with his routine also involving a teammate in the form of goalkeeper Gert Bals.
Whilst at Ajax, Cruyff would slap Bals in the stomach before each match, in the hope of bringing his team good luck. Then, having walked out onto the pitch, he would spit a piece of chewing gum into the opposition's half.
Clearly the former Barcelona man looked back on his antics with some regret, because many years later he gave the following advice to managers when dealing with superstitious players: "If it does influence them, you can't play them in the next match".
4 Malvin Kamara's Movie Marathon
Although he may not be the most well-known player on this list, Malvin Kamara enjoyed a successful career with a multitude of clubs across the English Football League.
While he played for a number of teams, there was one constant in the winger's life: his love of the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Speaking to The Sun, Kamara said that the film, "calms my nerves and gives me luck". When asked about the 2005 Tim Burton remake however, he was less impressed: "The [Johnny] Depp one just offends me," he said.
3 Laurent Blanc's Keeper Kiss
One of the most famous pre-match rituals in football started back at the 1998 World Cup, when French national team defender Laurent Blanc began kissing goalkeeper Fabien Barthez's bald head before every game.
With each game that passed, the French kept on winning and so the superstition continued to occur. Even in the final, when Blanc was suspended, he came onto the pitch in full kit to repeat the ceremony with the goalkeeper.
There must have been something in the kiss too, because France won the tournament for the first time in their history - and two years later they would win Euro 2000 too, with Blanc all the while keeping up his commitment.
2 John Terry's Urinal Usage
Over years of being Chelsea captain, John Terry picked up more than his fair share of superstitions, admitting that he always sat in the same seat on the team coach and listened to the same Usher CD.
Without doubt the strangest of his collection though is a joint tradition started with fellow Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. "In the Chelsea dressing room we have three urinals," explained Terry.
He went on to reveal how, after having used one of them they won the game - and ever since they used the same urinal. In fact, others began to join them too, with Ashley Cole, Cesar Azpiliceuta and Cesc Fabregas becoming part of this toilet trick.
It got so bad, Terry said, that at one point the club began to get in trouble for being late out to kick-off: "I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was because we were all waiting to go for a wee!" he said.
1 Adrian Mutu's Horticultural Habits
Finally, to round off our list we have one of the most eccentric characters the game has ever seen: Adrian Mutu.
The former Chelsea striker caused quite a stir during his time in the Premier League, once testing positive for cocaine and playing with it in his system.
It is perhaps no surprise then to hear that the Romanian had a rather bizarre ritual in which he would put basil leaves in his socks before going out to play, with seemingly no explanation as to why.
That, along with wearing pants inside out in order to, allegedly, ward off a group of witches, means he takes the top spot in this ranking of the strangest pre-match rituals in football.