The two food items Lionel Messi has avoided for 12 years as strict diet plan revealed

Lionel Messi has kept himself on a lengthy plan that focuses on his health after battling adverse reactions a decade ago, as well as an Argentinian tradition.

Wouldn’t you like to be as fit as Messi at 39? I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t enter the World Cup at my age (ahem) or have a career that has seen him score over 910 goals.

But maybe it’s down to what he puts into his body and how he takes care of himself.

We all know footballers start to retire come 34-years-old, per Jobs in Football, so he’s stretched past that by some time.

Thankfully, if you also want to keep fit, you can try to keep up with Messi, but it won’t be easy.

According to his nutritionist, it cuts out a lot of the things people usually like to enjoy.

But clearly it has worked a treat for the sportsman’s health.

Lionel Messi's long career could be attributed to his diet (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Italian nutritionist Giuliano Poser began working with him in 2014, back when his career saw him munching on things like soda and chocolate, whilst suffering from soft tissue injuries and bouts of vomiting, per VT.

To curb this, Poser identified five key foods for the football player to focus on improving his overall condition and extending his career, per the outlet.

These were water, olive oil, whole grains, fresh fruit, and fresh vegetables, and completely cut out things like the soda consumption and even pizza, with replacements including nature’s picks.

"Also very good are nuts and seeds,” Poser explained the Independent.

"[Sugar] is the worst thing for the muscles. The farther he stays away from sugars, the better," he continued. “Refined flours are also a big problem as these days, it’s difficult to find uncontaminated wheat."

He hasn't eaten pizza or soda for 12 years (Getty Stock Images)

He also advised against excessive meat consumption, noting: "The amount of meat normally eaten by Argentinians and Uruguayans is too much, as it is difficult to digest.

Because of him, Messi hasn’t eaten pizza or drank sofa in 12 years, and allegedly, this stopped his vomiting and soft tissue injuries, as reported by VT.

If you’re thinking his methods are a little extreme, to this Poser said: “My methods are not in doubt, everyone can see Leo week in, week out.”

As well as Poser’s advice, Messi also starts every morning with yerba mate, which he drinks from a gourd he has had since childhood.

Yerba is a natural alternative to coffee, where he explained in a 2019 interview with Marca, that it’s a drink he’s carried with him.

"I like a hot and bitter mate. I used to drink it sweet, but then I got used to the bitterness and I drink it like that."

Do you want to give his routine a try?