Why Robert Lewandowski follows a 'backwards eating diet' that sees him eat dessert first

Parents across their globe often tell their kids that they've got to eat their main course before they can get stuck into their pudding.

But Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski might just have caused a rehink with his unusual diet plan.

Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the history of football and has more than 700 career goals for club and country.

The 36-year-old is still going strong with 34 goals in 38 games for Barcelona in all competitions and much like Cristiano Ronaldo, has got even better as he has got older.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who managed the Poland international at Bayern Munich, called him "the most professional player" he has ever worked with and said he "thinks about the right food, sleep and training 24 hours a day."

It was claimed that Lewandowski complained about the way that a Barcelona chef had cooked food 'that is essential in the diet of any athlete, such as eggs', leading the club to look for hire a new person for the role.

But the Polish striker's food choices raised a few eyebrows at Bayern. As detailed by Jonathan Liew in the The Guardian. Lewandowski has a unique eating order where he has his dessert prior to his main meal.

But it turns out there is method to the madness. Lewandowski was been advised to switch around his courses by his wife Anna, a former karate champion who specialises in fitness and nutrition.

The idea is that because sweeter, sugary foods are digested quicker, re-ordering meals ensures they don't mix with other food groups such as proteins and carbohydrates.

The approach can also be useful in burning fat and allow Lewandowski to remain in incredible shape to do the business on the pitch.

Robert Lewandowski enjoys a sweet meal. Image: X/@SBakshi13

"He is a guy who is hungry to improve as a player, and for that reason, he has a special diet that his wife gives him," former Poland teammate Thiago Cionek told ESPN on Lewandowski's eating habits.

"She is a nutritionist and is well known in Poland. Robert even told me that the big change in his career, when he reached the elite clubs and in the national team, was when he radically changed what he ate.

"On game day, he eats a lot of protein. And there is always tuna for breakfast. He also avoids anything with gluten and lactose. The day before playing, after dinner, he still finishes off with a bowl of rice pudding to fill the body with carbohydrates and glucose to play the next day. Then, in recovery, there are lots of vegetables and avocado."

After consulting a sleep therapist, Lewandowski also sleeps on the left side to protect his right foot. For similar reasons, he has the same routine of putting on his left boot first before a game - thanks to a discussion with a psychologist who encouraged him to maintain repetition.