In 2013, after suffering a series of minor injuries that slowed his form, Lionel Messi decided to make a lifestyle change.
Admittedly, the former Barcelona hero was not exactly eating the best at the time, subsisting on pizza and red meat.
Ten
Ten
But as he grew older, intolerances to what he was consuming triggered reactions in his body, causing the diminutive No.10 to vomit uncontrollably on the pitch.
Messi, 35, flew to Italy to meet with Dr Giuliano Poser in Sacile, Italy, to discuss his problem.
Poser, who has practiced sports medicine for more than 20 years, preaches a slightly different approach than most of his generation.
Nutrition, posture correction, osteopathy, Bach flower, kinesiology, massage and emotional therapy are all important elements in Poser’s arsenal.
Tough on the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner
According to well-informed Argentine journalist Veronica Brunati, Messi has been told to only eat what his body needs, not what it craves.
I stopped eating foods that didn’t agree with my body.
Wheat flour, yeast and refined wheat found in pasta, pizza and white bread have been eliminated.
The dietary review also removes pork, beef, eggs, shellfish and dairy products from the menu.
Ten
Of course, alcohol consumption was also banned, as was Messi’s love of fizzy drinks.
They have been replaced by more organic and fresh foods, bottled water and yerba mate, a caffeine-rich drink from South America.
“Vegetables, seasonal fruits and good quality mineral water are essential fuel for our muscles,” Poser said.
“We need to reduce our intake of processed foods and foods contaminated with pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and medicines.”
Bach Flower Remedies
But it wasn’t just about the food.
As part of a more well-rounded approach, Poser recommended Messi undergo emotional work, psychotherapy and take Bach flower remedies.
While the latter may seem like a hippie solution for combating stress and anxiety, Bach flower is said to restore balance to the mind and body.
Scientifically speaking, it targets the limbic system, the part of the brain that deals with emotion, memory, and arousal.
Ten
Ten
What are Bach Flower Remedies?
Bach flower remedies were developed in the 1930s by British homeopathic physician Edward Bach.
Bach claimed that the dew from wild flower petals could be used as a complementary medicine to alleviate illness by acting on underlying emotional stress.
They are believed to gently restore balance to the mind and body by expelling negative emotions such as fear, indecision, hatred and worry that throw the whole person off balance.
Bach flower remedies are said to promote peace and well-being and allow the body to heal itself.
“Physical illness itself is nothing but the result of disharmony between the soul and the mind,” Dr. Bach said.
“When disharmony is removed, harmony is restored to the soul and spirit, and the body becomes perfect again in all its parts.”
It is not just footballers who practice Bach flower remedies; there are also several film stars who are devotees.
Actresses Salma Hayek, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Aniston and Emma Watson have all previously spoken out about using holistic medicine to help them stay calm under pressure.
Ten
It is believed that simply dissolving a few drops on the tongue or in water can ease fear, worry, hatred and indecision.
Having weighed three kilos less, Messi bounced back in 2014-15, scoring 58 goals, a huge improvement on his 41 the previous year.
He also played in 11 additional games that he may have missed in the past due to injury.
Poser’s advice worked to Messi’s advantage, helping him maintain his long-term status at the top of world football.
Visits to POSER have stopped
When Messi replaced Andrés Iniesta as Barcelona captain, the visits to Pozhar ceased.
The diminutive maestro then placed his hopes in the hands of Dr. Maria Antonia Lizarraga Darro, head of Barcelona’s nutrition team, ahead of his move to PSG in 2021.
But Poser is well aware of the impact that the health of some of the biggest names in sports has had on his own life.
He told Mundo Deportivo newspaper: “You could say that the Messi effect turned my life upside down, especially in the first three months, because the phones were ringing non-stop and journalists from all over the world were coming, whom I’d never met before, of course.”
Ten
Ten
“It affects everyone’s daily life, but especially for someone like me who leads a very calm life.
“But the whole world saw Messi and since then, there’s no questioning the way I do things. You can see it every week.”
Higuain and Dybala
Messi is not Poser’s only success story: Gonzalo Higuain also came to the Italian in 2015 with a crisis of confidence.
He followed his doctor’s advice to stop eating red meat, limit his fish intake and substitute bones for sugar in his diet.
The Argentine goalkeeper lost a staggering four kilos and enjoyed the best season of his life, scoring 38 goals in 42 games.
After nearly leading Napoli to the Serie A title, he moved to Juventus the following season for a huge fee of £75.3 million, but is now retired after a successful spell with Inter Miami.
And in 2018, then-Juventus star Paulo Dybala visited Dr Poser to help him recover from an injury in time for the team’s Champions League round of 16 tie with Tottenham.
Dybala missed the first leg but returned for the second leg and scored the winning goal to eliminate Tottenham… the doctor clearly knows what he’s talking about.
Ten
Ten
