Hook, line and sinker: Cavani attributes fishing to goalscoring exploits

Forget countless hours training on a football pitch. Fishing helped Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani develop into one of the game’s most lethal forwards.

Uruguay international Cavani is only one goal away from equalling Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s PSG record of 156 goals.

Cavani has emerged from Ibrahimovic’s shadow in Paris following the Swede’s move to Manchester United last year, leading the way for PSG alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

And the 30-year-old discussed the unusual link of football and fishing – one of his favourite hobbies.

“Fishing gives me peace, tranquillity. And also, as a forward player, it helps me, with my eyes,” Cavani told The Telegraph.

“You have to wait for the moment to attack, to catch the fish. And in football my position is basically the same. You have to wait for the precise moment, to attack. I wait for the fish, to catch them.

“You have to be patient and then pay attention – and then act immediately. Like when you play football.”

“You prepare for that specific moment to attack,” he continued. “It’s not something I thought of as a boy but, as I grew up, it started to become something I associated with being a striker and in being successful in my career, scoring goals.”

Cavani tops the Ligue 1 goalscoring charts with 19 as PSG enjoy a nine-point lead atop the table during the mid-season break.

The former Napoli forward has also scored six Champions League goals this season.