By Michele Kambas

LARNACA, Cyprus (Reuters) -Soccer players are lining up for a fiery kick – not on the pitch, but in the form of a searing shot of olive oil from Cyprus.

The peppery, throat-burning liquid is part of a performance revolution driven by a small plant in Cyprus that produces early-harvest olive oil packed with inflammation-busting polyphenols.

Soccer players taking the shot are convinced it helps them recover faster and play harder, says olive oil producer Nick Schizas, who used to be a FIFA-licenced agent representing soccer players from across the world.

“They were coming back with much more energy. They were recovering quicker between their games, between their training and without me pushing them they were coming back asking for more,” Schizas said of his old life in

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