Creatine supplementation in soccer players: a systematic review
Study Details
This systematic review included 45 reports representing 41 unique studies, examining creatine supplementation for performance, body composition and recovery/fatigue outcomes in soccer players 🔍
Key Findings
⚡ Some studies reported favourable effects on repeated-sprint performance, but findings were inconsistent and several trials showed no clear between-group benefit
🚴 Anaerobic power showed a similar pattern, with selected improvements in Wingate and RAST outcomes but substantial inconsistency between studies
💪 Muscular strength may benefit, with some trials reporting greater improvements in bench press, squat and leg strength versus placebo
🆙 Jump performance was mixed, with some positive studies but several null findings
🔀 Change-of-direction performance showed no consistent benefit, and evidence for soccer-specific technical skills such as dribbling and kicking was also mixed
🏃 Creatine did not consistently improve endurance performance, including intermittent endurance tests and treadmill protocols
😮💨 Recovery and fatigue outcomes were largely inconclusive, with no consistent improvements in fatigue index, lactate, heart rate, RPE or muscle-damage markers
⚖️ Body mass commonly increased, particularly with loading protocols, with reported gains ranging from ~0.4–3.6 kg
💧 Some of this weight gain likely reflects increased body water, while evidence for meaningful additional lean-mass gains was limited and inconsistent
🥄 Short-term protocols commonly used ~20 g/day or ~0.3 g/kg/day for 4–7 days, while longer studies typically used 3–10 g/day
📊 Evidence certainty was rated very low for performance, body composition and recovery/fatigue
⚠️ Many studies were small, heterogeneous, at risk of bias and predominantly involved male players
Conclusion
Creatine remains a plausible option for soccer players targeting strength, power and repeated high-intensity efforts, but soccer-specific evidence is not strong enough to guarantee improved match performance or recovery, and potential body-mass gain should be considered individually ✅
Reference
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15502783.2026.2735569
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