They are the world’s top footballers, between them commanding hundreds of millions of dollars a year to play the world’s most popular sport
The eyes of the world have been on them during the FIFA World Cup, but have you ever wondered what fuels the world’s greatest footballers? Read on to find out more about their diets, including their secret weapons
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Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi will be front and centre when Argentina takes on Spain in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at 5am Monday (AEST) after defeating England in the semi-final
The Argentinian athlete has long been considered one of the world’s best footballers. At 39, he still has what it takes, scoring eight goals at the 2026 tournament to become the second-highest goalscorer to date
He also holds the record of top all-time goalscorers in Men’s World Cup history with 18 goals
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Now playing for US club Inter Miami, Messi’s diet choices are probably more important than ever as he approaches 40
According to Mashed, leading Spanish nutritionist and sports scientist Ismael Galancho gave Messi’s diet secrets to sports newspaper ASin 2025
The athlete’s meal plan was reportedly devised using biometrics
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It includes a coffee alternative that is popular in his native Argentina, called yerba, which is steeped in hot water and is served in a vessel called a mate or gourd
He told Spanish media outlet Marca in 2019 he drank the beverage “hot and bitter”: “I used to drink it sweet, but then I got used to the bitterness and I drink it like that.”
Speaking of sweet, Messi reportedly cut out sugar in 2014 on the advice of his nutritionist, Giuliano Poser. Up until then, he would sometimes eat chocolate and drink soda drinks before taking the field, leaving him feeling ill
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Under Poser, his diet was overhauled, limiting pizza and highly processed food as well as sugars and refined flours. He also reduced his meat intake. Poser told The Independent, “[Sugar] is the worst thing for the muscles. The farther he stays away from sugars, the better.”
The aim was to extend Messi’s career, which seems to have worked!
Harry Kane
All eyes will be on English captain Harry Kane when England takes on France for the third-place play-off at 7am on Sunday (AEST)
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The striker, who plays for German side Bayern Munich, is regarded as one of the best footballers in the world right now, and one of the top strikers of his generation, having scored more than 500 career goals – including six so far during this World Cup
At 32, Kane is now in the later years of his career, so it makes sense he would do everything possible to stay in tip-top condition. So much so, he has a private chef to help him meet his dietary needs
“I’ve been working with a chef named Dan Sargeant for about eight or nine years,” he told media outlet The Standardin June.
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“He’s also a qualified nutritionist, focusing on cooking and preparing meals to enhance athletic performance and health. Over the years, we have continuously researched and fine-tuned the dietary aspects, striving to make breakthroughs in every small detail.”
So what exactly does Kane eat in a day?
His breakfast choices depend on the intensity of training on the day in question so might require adjusting his calorie and carbohydrate intake, but includes whole wheat bread, eggs, spinach omelette and oatmeal
“Sometimes I have a slice of dark bread (whole wheat) with avocado and a spinach omelette with two or three eggs. Other times, I have coconut yoghurt with mixed berries, homemade granola, and a little honey,” he said
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“If we have a match on Saturday, I start ‘carb-loading’ from Friday morning’s breakfast, continuing until before the match to fuel the body properly.”
Kane’s lunch and dinner options include white fish, salmon, chicken or beef along with salad or vegetables
“I really enjoy salmon with rice and vegetables. Basically, I always order salad and plenty of vegetables with every meal, trying to get the most diverse nutrients from natural foods,” he said
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“On lighter training days, I might even cut out carbohydrates completely from one meal, focusing only on high-quality protein and vegetables. This ensures my body maintains energy levels while staying extremely lean.”
He also makes sure to stay well-hydrated, saying he tries to drink as much water as possible over the day
“Whether it’s for high-intensity training or official matches, adequate hydration is the most basic key to maintaining the body’s neurological responses and muscle recovery,” he said
But Kane also relies heavily on another drink − coffee
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Current coach of the English football team, Thomas Tuchel, who previously coached Kane at Bayern Munich, was asked what surprised him about the star when he first joined the German team
“How many cappuccinos he drinks a day! It’s ridiculous. Every time I go into the kitchen, he is there on the coffee machine,” he said
Coffee is widely used by sportspeople as a natural and legal performance-enhancing aid and when consumed roughly an hour before exercise, has been found to boost aerobic endurance, increase muscle strength and reduce feelings of fatigue.
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Jude Bellingham
Kane’s England teammate, midfielder Jude Bellingham, has been one of the stars of this year’s World Cup
At 23, he is a decade younger than Kane but already follows a carefully planned diet prepared by a personal chef
The Real Madrid star player reportedly relied on live-in chef Alberto Mastromatteo to prepare all his meals until 2024
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Mastromatteo previously worked with another Real Madrid star Karim Benzema and uses rigorous biometrical studies to analyse the individual needs of a client
While he would not discuss Bellingham’s exact diet due to “professional responsibility”, he said he advised all top athletes to follow a staple diet of rice, oats, quinoa, fresh vegetables, fish and some lean meat, while omitting saturated fats, including omega 3, which is found in salmon and avocado
He did, however, encourage footballers to have a ‘cheat day’ once a week
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“From 18 years to 32 years, it’s necessary for a professional to have one day a week when they forget everything and relax and maybe eat a hamburger or a pizza or whatever they fancy,” he told All Football in 2025
“In the cycling world, for example, this is not so appropriate. But in the world of football these players are under significant pressure
“These types of things help them unwind a little, and relax mentally. You can’t have diet, diet, diet every day.”
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Kylian Mbappé
France may no longer be in the running to win the World Cup, after losing their semi-final match to Spain, but they will play for third place on Sunday
Taking to the field will be the 2026 World Cup’s equal current top goalscorer, Kylian Mbappé
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The 27-year-old forward is Bellingham’s Real Madrid teammate and is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world thanks to his pace, ball technique and finish
Diet is an integral part of his preparation, and he is said to consume six meals and snacks a day, according to website Goal.com
The website said Mbappé’s diet plan revolved around the principle of healthy eating with an abundance of colours, to ensure he gets enough macronutrients, vitamins and minerals to maintain energy levels during training and games, and support muscle function and recovery
A typical day in his life includes a breakfast of boiled eggs with either avocado or almond butter and porridge followed by a mid-morning protein bar. Lunch is a wrap stuffed with tuna or chicken and salad
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He will then have an afternoon snack of fresh and dried fruit washed down by a protein shake, while dinner consists of chicken or fish with brown rice and vegetables. He then ends the day with another protein shake
However, it is not all bad news for Mbappé, who is said to love pasta and fuels up on it before a match. His favourite dish is spaghetti carbonara, which he often orders when out for dinner
A video detailing the athlete’s diet said since joining Real Madrid in 2024, he had added Spanish ham paired with Manchego cheese to his diet. He rarely eats red meat, and has very little added sugar, ‘refined grains’ or aerated drinks in his diet, but drinks plenty of water to stay hydrated
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Erling Haaland
One of the biggest stars to come out of the 2026 World Cup was undoubtedly Norway’s Erling Haaland, who was also the third highest goalscorer of the competition to date
While many non-football fans had not heard of him before the competition, he soon won hearts across the globe with his seemingly gravity-defying goals that elevated him to third-highest goalscorer of the competition to date
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His hulking 196cm frame (that is 6′5) led to comparisons with Norway’s Viking past, and it soon emerged the Manchester City striker relied on an “ancestral diet” to aid his incredible running speed and strength
Haaland’s daily diet is made up of high-quality, minimally processed, nutrient-dense whole foods including quality cuts of red meat, such as rib-eye and tomahawk steaks, Norwegian fish, including salmon and halibut, and organ meats such as cow’s liver and heart
He also consumes large amounts of raw milk, which he sweetens with raw honey or maple syrup
The striker’s total daily consumption is said to reach 6000 calories (25,000 kioujoules), which is spread across six meals. According to The Mirror, each meal is created by his personal chef to boost energy and support muscle recovery
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Sports Illustrated said breakfast accounts for about 1000 calories, and includes four eggs, yoghurt and toast, washed down with his raw milk and honey concoction. The Mirrorsaid he preferred his eggs farm laid while he only eats sourdough bread
Mid-morning he refuels with chicken breast and plain pasta before a pre-training lunch of high-quality, wild-caught fish, such as swordfish, sea bass or bream, alongside egg fried rice and fresh greens such as asparagus
A post-training meal consists of an Italian-style deli sandwich stacked with Parma ham, burrata cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and truffle oil, while his ‘primary dinner’ includes a large portion of dense, grass-fed red meat served with roasted potatoes and bone marrow
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He finishes the day with a late night ‘ancestral nightcap’ of micronutrient-dense organ meats, specifically cow liver and heart, to top up his iron and B-vitamins during sleep
His pre-match meal is a hearty lasagne cooked by his father, a former football star
Cristiano Ronaldo
Perhaps the most well-known football diet is that of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Now 41, he has the physique of a 20-year-old and while some argue he is starting to slow down on the pitch, he looked impressive at his final World Cup
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Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi leage, adheres to an extremely strict diet which sees him completely avoid all refined sugar, processed foods and dairy
Instead, his diet focused on lean proteins, healthy fats and whole grains, which are split into six meals consumed every three to four hours
According to Hola!, breakfast consists of avocado, eggs and coffee, while lunch and dinner will include vegetables alongside lean chicken, beef or fish, with a preference for swordfish, tuna and cod. He sometimes adds brown or black rice at lunchtime
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He snacks on fresh fruit and nuts, and will include whey protein where he can, and drinks up to five litres of water a day
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