EURO 2020 | PAUL HIRST
Ronaldo follows a strict and astonishing diet with one report claiming that he eats six times a day
GETTY IMAGES
Given that he has the physique of a Greek god, it may come as something of a surprise to hear that Cristiano Ronaldo was once mocked in Portugal for his gangly appearance.
“Noodle” is the nickname he was given by his Sporting Lisbon team-mates during his early teens.
The young winger was not happy with the moniker, so he decided to do something about it. Ronaldo used to sneak into the academy gym at Sporting’s training ground on his own at night to add more muscle to his upper body. Ronaldo’s secret trips to the gym went unnoticed for a while, but one day a staff member from the academy spotted the Portuguese pumping iron and told him that he should not be putting his body under so much stress at such a young age and ordered him to go home.
In many ways, the episode typified Ronaldo’s attitude. No matter how many times people doubt him or write him off, his determination to succeed never diminishes. That is why, at the age of 36, Ronaldo keeps delivering on the biggest stages. The Juventus striker is the fourth oldest outfield player at Euro 2020. Only his Portugal team-mates José Fonte (37) and Pepe (38), and the 38-year-old North Macedonia captain, Goran Pandev, have been around longer.
And yet on Tuesday night Ronaldo was named man of the match after scoring the 105th and 106th goals of his international career to give Portugal a 3-0 win over Hungary in Budapest.
A wry smile crossed the face of Mick Clegg, 1,300 miles away in Ashton-under-Lyne, when Ronaldo was tearing Hungary apart.
Clegg is a power and development coach who puts footballers, athletes and other professionals through a training programme he calls “seed of speed” in his gym in Greater Manchester. He worked with Ronaldo for 5½ years.
That Ronaldo continues to be one of the best on the planet does not surprise Clegg, who was struck by his confidence on their first encounter, at Manchester United’s training ground in 2003. “He was already in good condition when he came to United, but once we put everything together from a physical, dietary and football point of view, you come up with the ultimate machine to play football, and that is what he is,” Clegg says. “What he’s done has been remarkable.”
Clegg’s initial aim was to improve Ronaldo’s strength. He did so by instructing the winger to undertake lateral dumbbell raises, which involves slowly raising weights parallel to the shoulders, while keeping the back straight. Such exercises helped Ronaldo to fend off opposition players. Squats were prescribed to help Ronaldo jump higher. Power cleans (lifting a barbell from the floor to your chest) helped to create that explosive take-off when he sprints away from his marker.
“His mind is way ahead of anyone else I’ve worked with,” Clegg says. “When he jumps, it’s his mentality that gets him there before anyone else. His emotional being drives those muscles to get the best out of them.”
Ronaldo made the headlines this week when he moved two bottles of Coca-Cola, a Euro 2020 sponsor, away from him as he sat down to give a press conference and held up a bottle of water instead. “Agua. Coca-Cola, no,” he said.
Those who work with him say that from a young age Ronaldo decided to avoid fizzy drinks, because of their sugar content. He only drinks alcohol on special occasions, and even then he will not consume more than one glass of wine.
Ronaldo follows a strict and astonishing diet. One report last year claimed that he eats six times a day (breakfast, snack, two lunches and two dinners). His favourite dish is bacalhau à brás, which is a mixture of cod, onions, thinly sliced potatoes and scrambled eggs. Ronaldo’s diet also includes swordfish, tuna and olives. He loves a siesta — a practice he continued during his time in Manchester — and is said to complete five gym sessions a week. He also does pilates and swims regularly.
While at United, Ronaldo became one of the first footballers to employ a private chef.
He encourages his family to eat healthily too, although the eldest of his four children, Cristiano Jr, 11, sometimes ignores his advice.
“I’m hard on him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta and I’m pissed off with him,” Ronaldo said recently. “I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything, he knows I don’t like it.”
From ‘Noodle’ to the crème de la crème – secrets of Ronaldo’s enduring billiance
Teased about his build as a teenager, the Portugal star pushed his body to the limit
Ronaldo follows a strict and astonishing diet with one report claiming that he eats six times a day
GETTY IMAGES
Given that he has the physique of a Greek god, it may come as something of a surprise to hear that Cristiano Ronaldo was once mocked in Portugal for his gangly appearance.
“Noodle” is the nickname he was given by his Sporting Lisbon team-mates during his early teens.
The young winger was not happy with the moniker, so he decided to do something about it. Ronaldo used to sneak into the academy gym at Sporting’s training ground on his own at night to add more muscle to his upper body. Ronaldo’s secret trips to the gym went unnoticed for a while, but one day a staff member from the academy spotted the Portuguese pumping iron and told him that he should not be putting his body under so much stress at such a young age and ordered him to go home.
In many ways, the episode typified Ronaldo’s attitude. No matter how many times people doubt him or write him off, his determination to succeed never diminishes. That is why, at the age of 36, Ronaldo keeps delivering on the biggest stages. The Juventus striker is the fourth oldest outfield player at Euro 2020. Only his Portugal team-mates José Fonte (37) and Pepe (38), and the 38-year-old North Macedonia captain, Goran Pandev, have been around longer.
And yet on Tuesday night Ronaldo was named man of the match after scoring the 105th and 106th goals of his international career to give Portugal a 3-0 win over Hungary in Budapest.
A wry smile crossed the face of Mick Clegg, 1,300 miles away in Ashton-under-Lyne, when Ronaldo was tearing Hungary apart.
Clegg is a power and development coach who puts footballers, athletes and other professionals through a training programme he calls “seed of speed” in his gym in Greater Manchester. He worked with Ronaldo for 5½ years.
That Ronaldo continues to be one of the best on the planet does not surprise Clegg, who was struck by his confidence on their first encounter, at Manchester United’s training ground in 2003. “He was already in good condition when he came to United, but once we put everything together from a physical, dietary and football point of view, you come up with the ultimate machine to play football, and that is what he is,” Clegg says. “What he’s done has been remarkable.”
Clegg’s initial aim was to improve Ronaldo’s strength. He did so by instructing the winger to undertake lateral dumbbell raises, which involves slowly raising weights parallel to the shoulders, while keeping the back straight. Such exercises helped Ronaldo to fend off opposition players. Squats were prescribed to help Ronaldo jump higher. Power cleans (lifting a barbell from the floor to your chest) helped to create that explosive take-off when he sprints away from his marker.
“His mind is way ahead of anyone else I’ve worked with,” Clegg says. “When he jumps, it’s his mentality that gets him there before anyone else. His emotional being drives those muscles to get the best out of them.”
Ronaldo made the headlines this week when he moved two bottles of Coca-Cola, a Euro 2020 sponsor, away from him as he sat down to give a press conference and held up a bottle of water instead. “Agua. Coca-Cola, no,” he said.
Those who work with him say that from a young age Ronaldo decided to avoid fizzy drinks, because of their sugar content. He only drinks alcohol on special occasions, and even then he will not consume more than one glass of wine.
Ronaldo follows a strict and astonishing diet. One report last year claimed that he eats six times a day (breakfast, snack, two lunches and two dinners). His favourite dish is bacalhau à brás, which is a mixture of cod, onions, thinly sliced potatoes and scrambled eggs. Ronaldo’s diet also includes swordfish, tuna and olives. He loves a siesta — a practice he continued during his time in Manchester — and is said to complete five gym sessions a week. He also does pilates and swims regularly.
While at United, Ronaldo became one of the first footballers to employ a private chef.
He encourages his family to eat healthily too, although the eldest of his four children, Cristiano Jr, 11, sometimes ignores his advice.
“I’m hard on him sometimes because he drinks Coca-Cola and Fanta and I’m pissed off with him,” Ronaldo said recently. “I fight with him when he eats chips and fries and everything, he knows I don’t like it.”