Waking up with a morning cappuccino in Turin or tucking into a cheese toastie in Madrid might be a dream holiday activity for most, but having spent most of his 41 years devoted to being the best footballer on the globe, these are just two of the things that Cristiano Ronaldo has sacrificed.
The Portuguese icon is gearing up for his sixth and final World Cup this year, with hopes of putting the cherry on top of an unparalleled career.
Whether or not he ranks ahead or alongside Lionel Messi is a debate for another time, but what is certain is that the impeccable condition that Ronaldo has maintained has extended his playing days far beyond what most athletes in the game could ever imagine.
That all stems from his diet, which complements and activates his lengthy gym sessions, and it's thanks to his former private chef and dietitian that he can continue to perform at such heights nearly 25 years after his Sporting Lisbon debut.
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Chef Giorgio Barone served dishes for Ronaldo during his time in Turin, and he’s now spoken out about what rules he enforced when making optimal regimes for the then-Juventus legend.
As you can imagine, the diet included keeping snacks and junk food at a distance. But what is surprising is that Barone made the footballer swear off milk.
Why? Well, it's all to do with nature.
No Whey, Jose
Given its rich calcium benefits, most people are told that milk is a health benefit. But Barone thinks the concept is udderly ridiculous and there’s no room for goat juice for the GOAT.
Speaking to Covers, he revealed that only three-month-old babies are suited for milk, and his athletes should forgo it.
“Humans are the only animals that drink the milk of other animals. No other animal drinks milk after three months... It is against nature,” he said.
That goes for coffee, which would either need to be an espresso or black, and tea.
This doesn’t mean that he advocates a vegan diet, though. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, as he endorses getting the maximum protein from animal organs.
"I agree with eating the organs," he added. "The liver, heart, and brain are all healthy foods. They are superfoods. Cristiano liked liver too."
Ronnie never struggled for tasty dishes, though, and found a lot of pleasure in traditional Portuguese food.
Other nutritional products like eggs and fish were also plentiful in his diet, although he didn’t bother with any strict measurements of protein and carb intakes, as Ronaldo simply trained too much for it to matter.
Game Over… Chef Barone also banned the PlayStation
Barone’s duties expanded far more than just serving up plates of rich food, as he helped Ronaldo devise routines for his eating and sleeping schedule.
This also involved steering well clear of the gaming consoles for CR7, despite investing over $40million into his own football game.
Claiming it is the ‘ruin of footballers,’ late-night gaming habits are directly correlated to craving snacks and bad sleeping patterns.
“Many players have the bad habit of staying up late at night, especially playing PlayStation, which is the ruin of footballers,” he said.
This wasn’t a problem for Andrea Pirlo, though, as the Juve legend spent the eve of his World Cup 2006 win grinding on the PlayStation.
Every athlete enjoys different diets - Robert Lewandowski continues to perform at the elite level at the age of 37, despite eating desert before his main meal - but there’s no denying that Ronaldo has the longest peak career of all time, and there must be a method to the milkless madness.
Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Pro League
Jack Marsh