How far do elite footballers need to push themselves to stay at the very top of the game? What obscure marginal gains do they employ to give them the tiniest advantage over their competitors?
Cristiano Ronaldo partially answered that question on Monday, when eagle-eyed fans spotted he paints his toenails black for practical reasons – to avoid fungi and bacteria affecting his foot.
The Portuguese superstar, now earning £175million-a-year in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, is famously obsessive about his health and fitness routines.
But it clearly works – indeed, a test found the outrageously toned 38-year-old veteran had the body of an athlete 14 years his junior, with seven per cent body fat — (the average footballer’s is 11), and 50 per cent muscle mass.
Painting his toenails is far from the only unusual method Ronaldo employs to fuel his body – and below, Mail Sport looks at what else the forward does to stay in outstanding shape.
From ‘magical’ chicken, a strict napping schedule and at-home cryotherapy – Mail Sport examines the health hacks that could be helping Ronaldo stay in top form at 38 years old
SIX mini-meals throughout the day
Rather than sticking to the traditional three-meal structure of breakfast-lunch-dinner, Ronaldo prefers to refuel with six smaller ‘mini-meals’ throughout the day: Breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack, supper, dinner.
While scientists are still debating the merits of multiple smaller meals for the rest us, Ronaldo’s pattern of eating isn’t unusual for athletes.
That pattern is said to help meet the high nutritional demands of footballers, giving the energy they need for the range of training they do throughout the day. Diet is clearly very important to Ronaldo, reportedly having a personal nutritionist who has been following him since his Real Madrid days.
He loves nutrient-rich avocado, fresh fish and generally sticks to high-protein, low-fat foods like chicken, with Ronaldo once calling it ‘magical’ for its healthy properties. Salad, whole grains like quinoa, and fresh fruit are also piled onto his plate every day.
Fellow Portuguese players have said Ronaldo’s favourite dish is Bacalhau a Bras, a traditional dish combining scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and salted cod.
And one thing he seemingly won’t touch is sugary drinks. The footballer infamously caused a sponsorship headache at Euro 2020 when he pointedly removed Coca-Cola bottles from his seating area at a press conference before shouting in…