Creatine's soccer evidence is thinner than its gym reputation
Some trials in soccer players found better repeated sprints, power and strength on creatine, but just as many did not, and the review rates the overall certainty as very low. The most dependable change was extra body mass, especially after loading protocols.
For you: No reason to bin creatine if you lift, but if you take it purely for football the sport-specific proof is weaker than the hype suggests, and the most reliable effect here was a heavier body.
What it shows: The uncertainty is the finding: a sweep of 41 controlled studies in soccer players produced results too mixed and too low in quality to pool, so creatine's match-day value is genuinely unsettled. Several authors also disclose ties to creatine manufacturers, worth knowing even in a review reporting mixed results.Systematic review · J Int Soc Sports Nutr