Since landing in Kolkata at midnight on the 13th, Lionel Messi has been following a packed schedule. His only rest comes at night when he returns to the hotel. Every day, he has to travel from one city to another and goes through a jam-packed schedule during the day. Photo sessions, football with children – everything is on his schedule. Even amid all this, Messi is not compromising on his fitness. He is following his diet.
What does Messi's diet include? Find out what keeps him so fit even at this age.
Messi has come to visit four cities in three days. Kolkata and Hyderabad on the same day. Then Mumbai and finally Delhi. Coming from Barcelona, he landed in Kolkata and will go to Barcelona from Delhi. Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez also have the same schedule as Messi.
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What is the secret of this fitness? There is only one answer – discipline.
Messi's discipline journey did not start in a day. It began at Barcelona's La Masia academy. That's where Messi started. After that, Messi grew up and brought himself under even stricter discipline.
What does Messi do to protect his body, reduce injuries and maintain good health?
Messi in Kolkata
The secret of Messi's fitness
According to a report published in ESPN India, after poor performance in the 2013-14 World Cup, Messi worked on improving his performance. There, he first brought changes to his diet. In an interview with an American TV channel, Messi said that he doesn't remember what he used to eat. But for years and years, he ate a lot of junk food. At 22 or 23 years of age, he used to eat chocolate, cookies, and cold drinks.
These foods caused him weakness, vomiting and lethargy.
Messi with Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad
Giuliano Poser helped bring changes to Messi's diet. He helped Messi fix his diet in 2014. He advised Messi on a controlled diet, not a fancy one. He introduced the Five Pillar Rule to Messi's diet. Water, olive oil, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Messi said in the interview, "I eat well now. I eat fish, meat, vegetables, and salad. Sometimes I drink wine. But that's controlled."
Messi with Sunil Chhetri in Mumbai
Messi's workout
Not a muscular body, a player like Messi needs a flexible body. For that, he doesn't lift very heavy weights. Instead, he does strength training. He does stretching, speed and muscle maintenance exercises. On the other hand, he also does sprints and hurdles during practice sessions.
At the end of the day, Messi is succeeding with his controlled diet. Which doesn't change even during the off-season.
