José Blesa, who worked for Ronaldo for a long time, has been responsible for the nutrition of the FCB professionals since the summer.
Xherdan Shaqiri has not yet made a big impact for FCB. José Blesa, the former nutritionist of mega-star Cristiano Ronaldo, is now supposed to fix things. The Spaniard knows how, what and when to eat.
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- In the 1:1 draw in Sion, FCB star Xherdan Shaqiri made his second substitution. In the 19 minutes on the bumpy grass in the Tourbillon, the returning player remained pale.
- blue Sport expert Pascal Zuberbühler and all FCB fans hope that Shaqiri will soon be able to play from the start and for 90 minutes.
- One person who can help Shaq to get back to 100 percent soon is the Spaniard José Blesa. He was superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s nutritionist for years.
When Xherdan Shaqiri was substituted in the Tourbillon in the 71st minute, the Sion fans also applauded. Shaq made no impact in the 19 minutes, neither standing out nor falling behind. The score remained 1:1.
blue Sport expert Pascal Zuberbühler does not want to judge Shaqiri’s away debut in the Super League. The former national team goalie says: “The grass in the Tourbillon was certainly not ideal, the ball was slow. When he first touched the ball, Shaq practically stumbled over it. It was not easy for him. People want to see a lot from him. Can he show that? It will certainly be difficult…”
He wants to take a closer look at Shaqiri’s feet again in the next home game, Zuberbühler continued, “or when he perhaps plays from the start.” Against Yverdon, FCB coach Fabio Celestini let his new superstar play for the last 24 minutes, and in Sion for 19 minutes.
Blesa raves about Ronaldo’s professionalism
Shaqiri has not played 90 minutes of competition for almost four months, and at the European Championships in Germany, national team coach Murat Yakin criticized Shaqiri’s fitness level. In Basel, where the expectations of Shaqiri are huge, he must now be brought up to the level as quickly as possible.
And the right man was hired for this job in the summer. José Blesa is 36, Spanish and was Cristiano Ronaldo’s nutrition coach for many years.
Blesa studied pharmacy, nutritional science and dietetics and has a master’s degree in training theory and sports nutrition. “If I had to explain to a player how to eat properly,” Blesa said before the season to «Basler News»“I would take Cristiano Ronaldo as an example.”
Everything that the now 39-year-old world star does for his body is at an absolute top level, continued Blesa, who has also worked with CR7 at Al-Nassr for the past two years.
In the first few weeks, he meticulously evaluated all the players’ data. He then put together individual fitness and nutrition plans for Hitz, Ajeti, Frei & Co. Now he’s doing the same for Shaqiri. So that XS can live up to the fans’ huge expectations. Anyone who sees the Spanish muscleman knows why the FCB stars follow his nutrition tips.
And if you’re wondering how Ronaldo’s nutritionist ended up at FCB, the athletic trainer Carlos Menendez introduced him; the two know each other from Spain.
