At 41, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to compete at the highest level, and his longevity has sparked widespread curiosity about his diet and training. According to sports nutrition expert Johnny Ondina, the secret behind Ronaldo’s enduring fitness is not exotic ingredients or unusual recipes, but rather simplicity and consistency.
During the summer, Ronaldo became the fourth-oldest player to appear in a World Cup and the second-oldest to score in the tournament, behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who scored at the age of 42 years and 39 days.
The Power of Consistency
Ondina explained that Ronaldo’s dietary success lies in a quality that most people—even professional athletes—lack: consistency. “The secret of Cristiano Ronaldo’s diet lies in an element that 90 percent of ordinary people or even professional athletes do not possess, which is consistency,” Ondina said, as reported by the Spanish newspaper AS.
He added that anyone can have the same ingredients found in their own home, and he even describes Ronaldo’s diet as largely boring. After nearly 25 years of a successful career, the Portuguese star continues to rely on what he knows gives him the required performance, rather than seeking quick fixes or trendy recipes.
“We often look for magic solutions and things we hear about on social media, while we set aside the foundation of consistency,” Ondina said.
Natural Foods Over Exotic Ingredients
Ronaldo does not depend on strange ingredients imported from faraway places. Ondina points out that his kitchen relies heavily on natural foods. “The problem is that there are young people at the age of 18 buying Himalayan salt, or reading on social media that fasting for 15 days will make them score a goal in the top corner of the net, and that is not true,” he explained.
Ondina believes that the biggest challenge for someone with such discipline is maintaining a balanced relationship with food, so that commitment to a diet does not turn into an unhealthy relationship.
A Balanced Approach
He concluded: “What we should try to imitate is that 95 percent of his day he eats healthy food, while he devotes 5 percent of it to different things.”
Ronaldo’s approach serves as a reminder that sustainable fitness often comes from consistent, simple habits rather than extreme or trendy measures.