Tom Brady has singled out Alex Guerrero for playing a pivotal role in reducing injuries at Birmingham City over the past two seasons.
While Birmingham City struggled through a challenging campaign under Knighthead’s first year — marked by numerous injuries and subsequent relegation from the Championship — the club has since experienced a notable decline in injury setbacks.
Though some attribute this improvement to the recruitment of more resilient players like Christoph Klarer, Phil Neumann, and Carlos Vicente—athletes with strong injury histories before joining—the true game-changer, Brady insists, is Guerrero’s overhaul of the club’s medical and recovery protocols.
READ MORE: Why Aston Villa Should Complete the Transfer for Midfielder Lucas Bergvall
READ MORE: Nine Million Pensioners to Receive £200 Bonus Under Andy Burnham’s Premiership
Guerrero, Brady’s closest friend and trusted ‘body coach,’ took charge of Birmingham City’s health department in the summer of 2024. He introduced a comprehensive recovery program for first-team players, which includes pre- and post-training massages designed to enhance recovery and sustain peak fitness. Unlike previous Birmingham squads that took additional rest days, the current team trains six days a week under these new methods.
Speaking on The Overlap, Brady praised Guerrero’s influence: “One of the biggest moments in my career was meeting a guy who has become my best friend. He heads the health and wellness for the Las Vegas Raiders, who have the league’s lowest injury rates. At Birmingham City, in the last two years, we’ve recorded the fewest injuries of any Championship team.
“He began training me with advanced recovery treatments that helped me bounce back to full fitness rapidly after games and injuries. Those same protocols are now fully integrated at Birmingham City.”
Brady also shared a personal example of Guerrero’s impact: “As a quarterback, I battled chronic elbow tendinitis. I’d tried traditional strength training—bicep curls, pulls, bench press—thinking that building muscle was the answer. But strengthening muscles also made them tight and dense, which clashed with the need for flexible, elastic movement on the field.
“My elbow pain worsened despite rest and anti-inflammatories. Then I met Alex.
“He diagnosed that my pain wasn’t from weak muscles but from overly tight ones. Through targeted manual therapy, he worked to lengthen and soften my forearm, bicep, and tricep muscles, reducing the tension on my inflamed tendon.
“Within just days, the inflammation subsided and the pain disappeared. For the first time since childhood baseball, I was free from elbow pain.”