Cristiano Ronaldo’s former private chef has revealed that the 41-year-old has banned milk from his diet.
Ronaldo is about to complete his 25th season as a professional footballer and is closing in on 1000 career goals after scoring his 969th in Al-Nassr’s win last weekend.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward has maintained a strict diet throughout his career and has frequently attributed his strict and clean diet as a key factor behind his longevity in football.
Giorgio Barone, who used to prepare Ronaldo’s meals, has revealed that the footballer has cut milk from his diet, despite it being a good source of protein and calcium.
‘No milk,’ Giorgio Barone told covers.com.
‘Humans are the only animals that drink the milk of other animals. No other animal drinks milk after three months. Calves don’t drink milk after the age of three months. Animals don’t drink the milk of other animals.
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‘It does not exist in nature. Only human beings continue to drink milk up to 30, 40, 50, and 60 years, and in my view it is wrong. We breastfeed from our mothers, like dogs, wolves, cows and donkeys. It is normal.
‘After infancy it is not normal. It is against nature.’
In 2021, Ronaldo wiped a whopping $4 billion off Coca-Cola’s market value after he removed a bottle of the drink on a table and told the audience to ‘drink water’ during a press conference at the European Championship.
Ronaldo, who uses saunas and ice baths as part of his recovery, is also able to maintain body fat levels below 10 per cent through a high-protein diet that avoids sugar and carbohydrates that include flour, such as pasta and bread.
‘Cristiano Ronaldo’s diet is balanced,’ Barone said. ‘He eats a little bit of everything, but it’s always healthy.
‘Starting with breakfast, he would have an avocado with coffee, eggs and no sugar. Absolutely no sugar. Lunch could be chicken, fish and always vegetables. If he needs carbohydrates, he gets them through vegetables, so he doesn’t need anything made with flour.
‘Nothing like pasta, bread and other types of food. In the evening, he eats light foods, usually fish or meat in the form of fillet. It’s always accompanied by vegetables.’
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