At the age of 39, when many players have begun to retire, Ronaldo still maintains his impressive scoring form with 50 goals in just 56 matches for Al Nassr. The secret behind his success is his determined attitude every time he plays, along with his scientific living habits, including a unique sleeping regime and a scientific diet.
Extremely “weird” sleeping habits
Unlike the usual habit of sleeping 8 hours a night of many other people, Ronaldo chooses to take many short naps during the day. Every day, he takes 5-6 naps, each nap lasting about 90 minutes.
The special thing is that Ronaldo always lies in the fetal position. After dinner, he spent time relaxing with friends, swimming and then taking a nap until midnight. Next, CR7 continued to take a nap at around 3 am before waking up to start a new day.
At first glance, this sleep mode seems “weird” and unbelievable. However, according to sleep expert Nick Littlehales, who has worked with Ronaldo, these short naps help the player recover better than long naps.
Littlehales explains: “It’s not a nap – a nap only applies to older people who often watch TV. This is a way to sleep less but improve recovery”.
The expert said that these sleeps help the brain rest and recover, thereby enhancing concentration and alertness, helping Ronaldo make accurate decisions on the field. At the same time, sleeping according to this habit will help Portuguese players reduce stress, anxiety and improve mood, creating conditions for playing with the most comfortable and confident spirit.
Disciplined and scientific diet
Besides his unique sleeping regime, Ronaldo also focuses on scientific diet and exercise. He eats 6 meals a day, ensuring adequate protein, carbohydrates and fat.
It is known that Ronaldo’s meals were consulted and prepared by NASA scientists. Meals are equally important as exercise regimen.
Ronaldo’s menu maintains a high-protein diet including meats and vegetables, with minimal sugar and very little processed food, helping to ensure the ideal balance between essential nutrients and appropriate amount of calories.
This way of eating is intended to meet the high nutritional needs of football players, providing the necessary energy for intense training sessions throughout the day. It is known that Ronaldo has a personal nutritionist following him closely since his days at Real Madrid.
Girgio Barone, the Portuguese superstar’s personal chef during the three years he played in Italy, revealed that Ronaldo’s daily menu has almost “no expensive food”.
The Italian chef said: “Those are healthy foods. I use organic and natural foods – fish, chicken, veal, eggs, avocado, coconut oil and brown rice. Ronaldo takes care of his muscles. It’s like taking care of a Ferrari”.
Ronaldo loves nutrient-rich avocados, fresh fish and general high-protein, low-fat foods like chicken. Ronaldo used this as a ‘magic’ food because of its healthy properties. Salads, whole grains like quinoa, and fresh fruit also regularly appear in Ronaldo’s meals.
Teammates on the Portugal team said Ronaldo’s favorite dish is Bacalhau a Bras, a traditional dish combining omelets, French fries and salted cod.
Ronaldo’s diet includes 5-6 meals a day. For breakfast, the 38-year-old player chooses to eat ham, cheese with yogurt. In between work and noon, Ronaldo eats bread with fruit and avocado to replenish energy.
Ronaldo usually eats two lunches. The first lunch is chicken salad, the second meal is usually fish with salad, eggs and olives. In the evening, Ronaldo continues to eat two meals. Fish seems to be the Portuguese superstar’s favorite dish. This player continues to choose fish for the last meal of the day – tuna, cod, or switches to beef or chicken.
Thus, Ronaldo’s total daily calorie intake is usually about 3,200 calories, avoiding most foods related to refined sugar and alcohol. CR7’s former teammate Patrice Evra once joked that when Ronaldo invites him to lunch, he shouldn’t accept because it will be the most boring meal.
Besides eating healthy, drinking enough filtered water is also very important for the former Real Madrid superstar. Surely we still remember that during the press conference at Euro 2020, Ronaldo pushed the Coca-Cola bottle out of the frame, then sent a message to the audience: “Drink filtered water, instead of Coca-Cola. “.
Even though this action causes trouble for the major sponsor of Euro 2020, it also partly confirms Ronaldo’s discipline and strictness in eating.
Hobbies are in the “refrigerator”
Ronaldo’s scientific daily living routine cannot lack “healing” time, relaxation, and therapy after matches.
When he returned to Manchester United in 2021, Ronaldo invested in a £50,000 cold therapy chamber at home. The treatment chamber uses supercooled liquid nitrogen gas to quickly reduce the internal air temperature to -200°C.
This treatment is favored by many athletes, such as Usain Bolt and soccer player Erling Haaland.
The cold chamber helps reduce inflammation and swelling caused by injury by promoting blood circulation as the body responds to the extreme cold. Ronaldo spends time in these cold chambers to reduce muscle pain and improve recovery time between matches and training sessions.
However, humans cannot be exposed to extreme cold for more than 5 minutes at a time as this can harm healthy tissues. Using a cold chamber at home, the Portuguese arranges cold therapy sessions lasting just three minutes at a relatively comfortable temperature of -160°C (-356°F).
Professional and scientific training over the past 20 years has helped Cristiano Ronaldo maintain enough physical condition to continue playing at the age of 39. However, despite his extraordinary endurance, CR7 cannot avoid the burden of age. This is the time when the importance of daily habits and methods of recovery and body care increases.
