There are few more imposing sights for a Premier League full-back than Adama Traore charging at full speed with the ball at his feet.

The Wolves winger is a dangerous dribbler and a physical force to be reckoned with — a potent combination when it comes to attacking play.

One thing that always stands out when Traore plays is the size of his arms, which seem to glisten even before he has worked up a sweat.

Why does Adama Traore use baby oil?

Whether lining up from the start or coming on as a substitute, there is always something noticeable about Adama Traore on a football pitch: his arms are so shiny. The reason? Baby oil.

Traore’s dribbling ability and blistering pace makes him extremely difficult to stop, so defenders will sometimes be left with little choice other than to grab him and hold on for dear life. To prevent this, and to reduce the risk of injury to a shoulder he has damaged before, the Wolves medical department came up with the idea to lather his arms in baby oil before and during matches.

Speaking in March 2021, former Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo explained: “I thought it was honestly a fantastic idea by the medical department because it came from the injury that he had with his shoulder.

“That was caused basically because of holding of his arm and creating this strong impact on his shoulder and he got injured from that.

“It’s very hard to stop Adama, and that [baby oil] avoids that situation. He becomes more slippery, so we get the advantage of his speed and talent. It was an option to avoid it, and from then on, he’s kept on doing it and it’s good.”

Adama Traore weight, height and fastest speed

Traore is not the tallest of players, measuring in at 5ft 10in tall (1.78 metres). However, being able to combine relatively average height with immense physical power is one of the reasons his acceleration is so good; Maurice Greene, the former Olympic champion and world-record holder over 100m, was roughly the same height as Traore.

A scrawny teenager when he broke into the first team at Barcelona in 2013, Traore is now a powerhouse weighing in at around 190lbs (86 kilograms), who clocked a top speed of 22.7mph (36.6kph) in 2021/22, which put him in the top three for fastest sprints in last season’s Premier League.

That much mass moving at such a pace is what makes him susceptible to injuries if a defender grabbed hold of his arm, as the sudden counteracting force risks damage to muscles, ligaments and his elbow and shoulder joints. Using baby oil to make it harder for opponents to grasp his arms.

Does Adama Traore lift weights?

Traore’s impressive physique is even more remarkable given that he doesn’t spend hours in the gym trying to build muscle.

The Spain international explained in an interview with AS that his brawny frame is a product of genetics, a focused diet, and explosive exercises.

“I don’t do weights. My genetics are like that and it makes my muscles grow very fast,” he said.

“I do other exercises. Each person has to adapt what suits him best. I do a lot of core. The secret is to know your body and adapt the training to your physical condition.

“I have gained in muscles with training, rest and food. Food is essential and I consider it a very important part of training.

“It is a balance of everything. My physical change, evolution, has also been out of necessity.

“When I was 15, I had knee problems with tendinitis that did not let me play my game or explode with my speed.

“Then I began to strengthen in the gym. I was very explosive and needed to do more specific work to avoid injuries.”

Adama Traore stats

Traore has played for Wolves since 2018, although he spent the second half of last season on loan at Barcelona, making 17 appearances in all competitions.

The Spain international, who has eight senior caps for his country after playing for them throughout his youth career, has played in 22 Premier League games for Wolves in 2022/23, although only eight of those appearances have come from the start. He has one goal and one assist.

Traore has created 1.46 goalscoring chances per 90 minutes on average this season, according to Opta, which is the third-best return among Wolves players to play in at least 10 league matches.

Unsurprisingly, among regular first-team players at Wolves, he attempts the most dribbles per 90 minutes (6.2), completing just under 60 per cent of them on average. Only Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin has completed more dribbles on average per 90 minutes this season among players to make at least 10 Premier League appearances.