Behind the spectacle of the World Cup, beneath the precision of tactics and the brilliance of talent, lies something profoundly human: ritual. Even the greatest players, icons of discipline and power, cling to quiet superstitions, secret gestures, and private traditions. Lionel Messi, before decisive matches, finds comfort in the familiar taste of his mother’s milanesa. Cristiano Ronaldo steps onto the pitch always with his right foot first, as though balance itself depended on that detail. Johan Cruyff, legend of Dutch football, would tap his goalkeeper before every game, an unspoken pact of