Olympic influence for Wolves' Sam Ricketts

Only this week, head coach Kenny Jackett confidently said Ricketts, who is 32, can play all the way through his 30s as he backed him to win a contract extension when his current deal expires next June.

Like his evergreen former Wales team-mate Ryan Giggs, Ricketts is a shining example of anyone wanting to maximise their careers.

A healthy diet and yoga are all part of the Ricketts plan to remain at the top of his game for as long as possible.

But what people may not know is how his only serious injury turned him towards a series of different training techniques that he was so impressed with he keeps practising them to this day.

A ruptured Achilles during his time at Bolton led to a 10-month absence from football.

But rather than the injury taking the edge off his game, he returned quicker than ever before – thanks to a changed running style, different warm-up techniques and an altered weight training programme.

"I still feel great – as good as ever," said Ricketts.

"I look after myself mentally and physically and a big part of it for me is making sure I have the right people around me.

"Every year since I injured my Achilles I go to see Gerry Ramogida.

"He's a Canadian fitness coach who came over to work here for UK Athletics in the build-up to the London Olympics.

"Initially I went there to work on my Achilles and I saw all these top athletes such as Dwain Chambers, Marlon Devonish, Christian Malcolm, Greg Rutherford and Donovan Bailey.

"Gerry and his staff set me some routines which I followed. I probably spent a couple of days a week in London with them from July until I came back playing and I came back fitter, stronger and faster than before.

"He's got about 10-15 athletes working with him and I joined in with them.

"The more time I spent there I felt I would be foolish not to ask them if I could pick their brains and do more, if it meant improving myself as an athlete. #

"I realised if I could take something of what we did there and incorporate it into what I do, I could become a better athlete.

"I felt very good afterwards and I still speak to them and keep in contact because I feel I owe them a lot.

"I emailed them a picture after we won the title saying 'thanks for all your help'."

Ricketts has always been a natural athlete and competed at county level for Buckinghamshire schoolboys, specialising in the long jump and the 400m.

"I was never good enough to reach the top level," he admits, although he held a schools long jump record of just under six metres at the age of 15.

"In athletics a 10th of a second means you either win the 100m or you come in fifth," he said.

"In football it's the same, the most minute detail can make a difference.

"So when the tests start, I've always been one of the quickest.

"When I was younger, I was always the quickest and I keep trying to push the younger lads, especially someone like Bakary Sako who is extremely powerful and takes some keeping up with.

"I still try to lead the way and show the youngsters the way and how it's done!"

Joking aside, Ricketts is captain for a good reason and hopes he is setting the right example.

"Hopefully they will look at me and think 'if he's doing that then why can't I?'" he said.

"It breeds a healthy competition because the others will push themselves. I try to improve because football gets quicker every year.

"You have to keep fit – gone are the days where you can just do nothing and come back to pre-season training. The game has become more professional.

"Players come back with a certain level of fitness so they can start training with a ball pretty much straightaway as opposed to coming back to get fit.

"I think you have to look after yourself because the margins are so small and tight so anything you can turn to your advantage you should look to use."

Ricketts is under pressure from fit-again rival Matt Doherty for the right-back role this summer.

Judging by the rampaging overlapping runs that are such a feature of the full-back role under Jackett, Ricketts knows if he's anything less than fully fit, Doherty will be breathing down his neck for his shirt.

So he's determined to remain at the top of his game.

"Fitness is one of the things you can affect yourself," said Ricketts.

"I don't enjoy getting fit and having to push the body into what it needs to do.

"But it's a necessary part of our profession and as it proved last year, hard work gets you to where you want to be."