‘If I saw Ronaldo eating horse s*** before a match I’d eat it too’: Troy Deeney is not surprised Manchester United players ditched dessert after watching the health-conscious striker munch on quinoa, avocado and boiled eggs
- Troy Deeney is not surprised Ronaldo’s team-mates have avoided sweet treats
- United keeper Lee Grant said how desserts had been ditched since his arrival
- Grant said meticulous 36-year-old ate healthy quinoa, avocado and boiled eggs
- Deeney said he would eat ‘horses**t’ before a match if he saw Ronaldo doing so
Troy Deeney is not surprised Cristiano Ronaldo’s team-mates have avoided sweet treats and desserts following his return to the club.
Manchester United goalkeeper Lee Grant previously revealed that not one player ate dessert at dinner after they saw Ronaldo eating quinoa and avocado.
Deeney believes this is due to the admiration they have for the striker and his career, claiming he would eat ‘horses**t’ before a match if he saw Ronaldo doing so.
Troy Deeney is not surprised Ronaldo’s team-mates avoided dessert following his return
The health-conscious Portuguese star has had an impacted on the United player’s diets
Deeney said: ‘If I saw Ronaldo eating horses**t for a pre-match meal, I’d eat horses**t too!’
His comments came after Grant outlined the United player’s reaction to Ronaldo diet. Grant told TalkSPORT: ‘To give you one instance of the impact he is having on the group right. This was Friday night in the hotel.
‘So, as you guys will be aware, you finish your dinner and usually on a Friday night you’ve got some cheat stuff out.
‘You’ve got some apple crumble and custard or you’ve got a bit of brownie and cream or whatnot.
United goalkeeper Lee Grant revealed how the players avoid sweet treat because of Ronaldo
Ronaldo (above) – who returned to United in a £19.8m deal last month after deciding to leave Juventus – is absolutely meticulous when it comes to keeping himself in top condition
‘I tell you now, not one player touched the apple crumble and custard, not one player went up for that brownie because everybody was sat down.
‘One of the lads said to me, “What has Cristiano got on his plate?”
‘So we were having a little goosey gander at what he has got and obviously it is the cleanest, most healthy plate you can imagine.
‘And it just cracked me up how not one single player dared get up and have that junk food that was laid out.’
When asked to explain exactly what was on Ronaldo’s plate, he said: ‘I’ll tell you one of his plates – he had several. One of them was quinoa, avocado and a couple of boiled eggs.
‘Listen, this guy is in incredible shape. He’s actually got the second best body behind me now at the club – and that’s saying something, so fair play to him!’
The 36-year-old eats plenty of fish but avoids having red meat or eating anything frozen
Ronaldo – who returned to United in a £19.8m deal last month after deciding to leave Juventus – is absolutely meticulous when it comes to keeping himself in top condition.
Ronaldo typically eats little and often – six meals a day, spaced out at 3-4 hour intervals – to meet the high nutritional demands of being a top footballer and support the fast metabolism athletes have.
Ronaldo’s diet also allows him to have explosive muscles and a very low fat mass. He has a personal nutritionist who has been following him since his Real Madrid days.
He eats whole grains, fresh fruit and lean proteins contained in fish such as swordfish, sea bass, sea bream and cod. They are always fresh and never frozen.
There is always a lot of salad on Ronaldo’s plate and for breakfast he will eat cheese, ham, low-fat yogurt and fruit and avocado toast. He considers chicken one of the magical foods: rich in protein and low in fat.
As well as making sure he eats all the right foods, Ronaldo naps throughout the day
Ronaldo is focused and attentive to every nuance of his life away from the pitch. In his diet, all carbonated drinks have been abolished and he avoids eating red meats and frozen foods.
However, not all Manchester United legends stuck to the same strict diet. Former captain Roy Keane recently admitted to having a doner kebab just three hours before a United match.
The Irishman said: ‘I played a cup game before Crystal Palace at home and three hours before the game I had a kebab. A doner kebab from the chipper. Three hours before the game.
‘When you’re younger you get away with it, but obviously you pay for it later on. You think you’re getting away with it, having a bit of a laugh about it and being a jack the lad. In fairness though I did live by myself and I didn’t have any food in the house.’
