Manchester United backup goalkeeper, Lee Grant has revealed how impactful the return of Cristiano Ronaldo has been to the club’s players. He said in terms of diet, Ronaldo wowed the players during dinner last Friday night due to the kind of food on his plate.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the very few players in the history of football that has enjoyed enviable longevity in the game. Unlike some other players who often play as backups at his age, the 36-year-old Portuguese football icon has remained at his peak even though he has passed his prime based on age.
When he left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018, most of his critics thought that would be the end of his career due to how tough, defensively, the Italian league is. To the surprise of many, he became an instant success in the league, winning the highest goalscorer awards and domestic titles.
When he decided to leave Juventus in August 2021, Manchester United, where he played between 2003 and 2009, decided to offer him a two-year deal. Critics of the club felt Ronaldo was too old for such an offer.
The argument was that the Premier League was too competitive for an aged player like Ronaldo. Some of his critics trolled him saying he should have moved to a less competitive league like how his arch-rival Lionel Messi did (he left FC Barcelona for French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint Germain this summer).
To the dismay of many Ronaldo’s critics, the 5 times Ballon d’Or winner became an instant hit when the club’s coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to start him in the Premier League game against Newcastle United last Saturday.
In the game, the 36-year-old Portuguese football icon scored two goals which helped Manchester United to win 4-1.
In an interview Lee Grant granted afterward, the 38-year-old English goalkeeper revealed that on the night before the Man United vs Newcastle game, Ronaldo had “the most healthy plates” during the team’s dinner.
Lee Grant said one of Ronaldo’s plates contained “quinoa, avocado and a couple of boiled eggs”.
“To give you one instance of the impact he is having on the group, this was Friday night in the hotel”, Lee Grant told Talksport.
“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.
“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?’ Obviously, it is the cleanest, most healthy plate you can imagine…
“I’ll tell you one of his plates – he had several. One of them was quinoa, avocado, and a couple of boiled eggs. This guy is in incredible shape.”
Lee Grant’s revelation about a meal of Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed the speculation that the football icon feeds mostly on fresh fruits, salads, nuts, whole grains, fish, yogurts, quinoa, and chicken.
Ronaldo’s strict diet is believed to be one of the major reasons while the 36-year-old Portuguese football icon is still at the top of his game.
He is expected to be in action later tonight, September 14, 2021, at 17:45 against Young Boys in a UEFA Champions League group stage game.
