‘I’m non-public chef to Premier League star – he eats one factor earlier than each meal’
Diogo Prego, 35, has worked as a private chef for a number of Premier League footballers, and has now lifted the lid on the diet of some of the world’s top players
Ever wondered what Premier League footballers munch on to keep in top shape? Diogo Prego, 35, a private chef to the stars, has lifted the lid on what the country’s best football stars eat.
Diogo has worked for some of the game’s biggest names – including Liverpool‘s Andy Robertson and ex-Spurs man Jan Vertonghen. He has also cooked for Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk’s family.
But now, he works for a mystery client who plays for Premier League champs Manchester City. Diogo started his culinary journey as a young lad and worked in a hotel kitchen before he eventually opened his own restaurant, Chouriçaria da Praça, in Portugal back in April 2020.
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From Évora, Portugal, his daily menu includes breakfast, lunch, dinner as well as cakes, cookies, juices, and protein bars. His workday can stretch from five to a whopping 20 hours. And it seems his bacalhau – a traditional Portuguese salt cod stew – is a hit with his new client, reports Leicestershire Live.
According to Diogo, the most common food requests from his footballing clientele include a variety of seafood, pasta and poke bowls. Speaking about his current mystery client, a four-time Premier League winner, he revealed: “We always have a soup before every meal.
“I prepare protein bars and juices for him every day. I try to buy as few things as possible, so I make everything at home.
“It always depends on his training schedule – the day before the match, he eats carbs, such as fresh pasta. His favourite thing to eat after the game is a salmon poke bowl. Poke bowls and a Portuguese dish with cod fish.
“Since last season, I have always tried to find the best product for each ingredient. There is a lot of responsibility at his level, and he plays a lot of games in the week, so everything has to be perfect.
“But it’s very relaxed, and I feel like I’m not working. We are close friends. I have lunch and dinner with him. We play pool together and watch concerts together – at the end of the day, we are just friends.”
Every day, Diogo kicks off by hitting the local shops for fresh ingredients to whip up that day’s meals – ranging from breakfast to dinner, plus snacks stashed in the fridge for easy grabs. He said: “Everything is within walking distance.
“I have butchers, fishmongers, and shops, so in the morning, I get meat, vegetables, and fruits to get them fresh, but it depends on the operating schedule.” Diogo loves to rustle up his native dishes, adding his own contemporary spin while borrowing flavours from Southern Asia too.
He shares: “I like Portuguese food and I always add a twist, so I like to modernise it while keeping the routes of Asian and Portuguese food. I love Thai food and cook it a lot because it’s healthy. I also love Italian food.
“My favourite food is a Portuguese dish called stuffed squid, which consists of squid, rice, tomatoes, and lots of stuff with a fantastic tomato sauce. I like to make a Portuguese paella called over rice, and you can show off with that because you make it in a big pan.”
Diogo, the footie fan who’s all about Portuguese heavyweights Benfica, has got just one gripe with Manchester – the dreary weather. “I used to live a five-minute drive from the beach back in Portugal, so that’s the only difference,” he spilled.
The daily diet of a Premier League footballer revealed
Breakfast: Sourdough toast with avocado, scrambled or poached egg, roasted cherry tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms and pickled red onion
Lunch: Home-made pappardelle with ricotta cheese and chicken.
Dinner: Seabass fillet with white beans, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and lemon.
Snacks: Porridge cookies with honey
Drinks: Kefir shake with banana and raspberries and maca
