“Footballers don’t just order pizza after games”

2023-10-22 08:00:04

Santa Coloma de GramanetMaría Antonia’s CV Tona Lizarraga (Pamplona, ​​1962) makes patchoca. She has a degree in medicine and surgery at the University of Navarra and is specialized in physical education and sports medicine and in nutrition and food sciences at the University of Barcelona. For thirty years she has been teaching, her great passion, although in the last decade she was also linked to FC Barcelona at the head of the nutrition area. He joined Barça in 2011 with the help of Dr. Ramon Segura, his great mentor, and in June he decided to close this stage because he wants to focus on researching physiology and nutrition from a “more comprehensive” vision “, which relates body and mind. It remains linked, of course, to the absolute Spanish football team.

After twelve years dealing with top level footballers, he will now return to focus more on teaching and research.

— The luck I’ve had all these years is that I haven’t stuck with the theory. I’ve seen where everyone’s problems and limitations are… It’s one thing for a book to tell you what to do and another for the reality of each footballer. Where does he come from? What customs have he acquired? , does he sleep well?, is he stressed? Do you have digestion problems? and many other things… In the end, I think I’ve learned more from the footballers than they have from me.

Today the control of nutrition in footballers seems non-negotiable. What is it like to do it in a team like Barça?

— I am a doctor and I was part of the club’s medical services, but in the area of ​​nutrition we had always been given some freedom. I was talking to the company that does the club’s catering, to prepare the menus, the picnics on the trips and everything. And, above all, the relationship with the players: asking them what they need, if this or that suits them, if they sleep well… These are things we didn’t ask twenty years ago. Neither was talking to the players about their digestion and now it is.

And are footballers disciplined in nutrition?

— More and more. If you see a colleague doing things well or performing better than you, you want to know what needs to be done to improve. The younger ones also pay attention to what the veterans are doing, who know that they have to take care of their nutrition if they want to extend their career. If you put a sign in a dining room that says: Anti-inflammatory foods, Foods beneficial for… These are things that the footballers have been feeling and that they know will be good for them. Eating well is the key to preventing injuries. For example, a green smoothie based on vegetables and fruit may not seem very desirable at first glance, but they know that it is a healthy thing, and depending on how you play with the ingredients, it may not taste unpleasant.

And what happens if a footballer doesn’t want to eat what he touches?

— They are the first to know that they must take care of themselves in order to perform well. Look, when you finish a game, there’s a two-hour metabolic window, and even if it’s late, it’s important to eat. It helps reduce the stress of the competition. Also because the body has undergone significant wear and tear and needs to recover. But not all footballers want to eat then… Maybe because the game didn’t go well, maybe because the player in question thinks he didn’t play well and tells you his stomach is closed… But they have to ‘insist that it is a time to eat. After the game: some fruit, some drink or a recovery shake… And then eat something solid. They often have some nice meal prepared for them according to their tastes, but they don’t always like it and you can’t force anyone to eat.

Better to eat then than when they get home, then?

— You need to understand the player and, above all, be didactic, explain to him that it is better for him to eat then and rest when he gets home, than to get home and eat whatever he wants then, no matter how healthy it is. They themselves also see what works well for them and, in the end, they end up asking you for it. This happens, especially, before the matches, in which they ask you the party menu: some like pasta, others like rice…

What do footballers ask for after matches? Pizza, sushi… worldly pleasures, eh?

— Yes, pizza, Japanese food… But let’s see, a pizza, if it’s homemade and you take care of the ingredients you put on it, it’s a good pizza. But footballers don’t just order pizza after games, do they? Are you looking for formulas to present healthy food in an attractive way: sandwiches, sandwiches, burritos… You trick the eye a little… They also work very well poke bowls with chicken, tuna…

Keeping a feed control is impossible when you play away at 9pm and then you have to go home.

— This alters all your rhythms. And it is normal that if there is training the next morning, the player will arrive tired and thinking about the nap. But this is also not new for footballers who play in teams like Barça. If you are a professional, you know that in a maximum of 24 or 48 hours you will recover the normal rhythm.

It is also important for the trainer to take nutrition seriously.

— It is decisive. At Barça, from time to time, we talked. The players are there to listen to the coach, and if he also comes to the talk and is motivated in this aspect, they perceive it. It is another factor and they will want to work on it to gain the coach’s trust. It is also influential to see that the coach shares meals with the players and that he gives importance to nutrition. The footballers also perceive if the coach has communication with the doctors and nutritionists and are interested in knowing how they are doing in these aspects.

Luis Enrique is one of these.

— He was very motivated with the subject. Both in Barça and in the Spanish national team. Now, also Luis de la Fuente. Apart from that, more and more it is the footballers themselves who want to know things about their bodies and how nutrition or rest affects their performance. When we wanted to do any study at Barça there were no problems finding volunteers. It is not you who is imposing, it is they who are curious about these aspects. For example, when they are injured, they also want to know which foods will promote their recovery. Following guidelines helps reduce stress and achieve goals.

Having breakfast and lunch or dinner together before and after training, as is now done with Xavi, is it important?

— It helps to follow a control of the footballers and, above all, to make pineapple, and this is also very important. I have seen several coaches go through Barça. In the beginning, the dynamic is to have breakfast together, so you have a healthy meal, and also lunch. But you may find that there is a time when the captains themselves ask you for a little more time to be with the families… because they tell you that they spend a lot of time with the team and also need to be with their people to rest… Everything is understandable. It’s best to find a middle ground.

And when the team travels, how is it done?

— Picnics are prepared, according to the tastes of the players. Today there are groups of nutritionists in different cities and you communicate to find out where you can order meals and ask for what you need. Especially considering they’re nice things to ingest after games.

How do you control what players eat at home?

— There is communication with the club. Some have private chefs. In fact, there is even a market for chefs who have been on football teams or who have been involved with sports nutrition and know what athletes need.

And when you come back from the holidays and you have to do the pre-season, do you need to get there in shape?

— No, not that either. Vacations are about disconnecting and relaxing and it’s normal to arrive having lost some muscle mass or gained some belly fat. It’s normal: you’re not up to the exercise stimulus that’s there during the competition. You have the pre-season to, in a couple or three weeks, get back in shape. And it usually is.