Football was my life – collagen helps me stay in the game

I played youth football for Slovácko until cruciate ligament surgery in Zlín ended my higher-level career. I'm 42 now, still playing for our village team in Moravia. After 40, the real battle isn't the match – it's the recovery. Knees swell. Knee pain becomes constant. Joints complain. You feel every tackle for days.
Two years ago, I was seriously thinking about quitting. Not because I wanted to, but because my body was telling me to stop. The joint pain meant I couldn't train for almost a week after weekend matches. That's when I remembered the fish collagen I used to take while working in Norway – building scaffolding, catching cod in those cold waters. Figured I'd give it another shot for pain relief.

I've tried many brands over the years. Nordic Nutrients is just clean collagen from Norwegian cod – the same fish I used to catch up there. No added stuff, no weird taste. That matters when you're taking it long-term.

I don't take it religiously. When my knee starts acting up after a tough match, I load up – 2-3 spoons daily for a week or two. Then I back off. What I notice: swelling and knee pain go down faster (used to take 5-6 days, now 2-3), and I'm back training sooner. The pain relief is noticeable enough to keep me playing.

Collagen won't fix bad knees or turn back time. I still need to warm up properly, ice after matches, and accept I'm not 25. But it helps me recover well enough to keep playing – and that's all I want. I'm not ready to be the guy who "used to play football."
The only annoying part? The price. Not cheap. But neither was my surgery, and I'd rather invest in staying on the pitch than sitting on the sidelines.

I want to play as long as my body lets me. Simple as that.

Luboš Lesa, 42, former Slovácko youth player, Moravia, Czech Republic