'I cook meals for Premier League footballers – here's what they really eat'

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Erling Haaland gave fans an insight into his life recently on his YouTube channel , which followed him visiting a local farm shop to buy steaks, raw milk and honey. But, in more ways than one, the Manchester City striker – who gets through 6,000 calories per day and likes to scoff heart and liver – is the exception to the norm when it comes to Premier League players.

Most do not play an active role in sourcing and cooking their food. Elite footballers are always well-paid, often low on time and require nutritious meals. That combination has seen an industry spring up to meet their needs.

Private chefs have existed for a long time , but those specifically working in football to cater for players is a particular niche that is on the rise. Whether it is coming to the player’s home to make him and his family dinner, or preparing meals they can cook themselves – think high-end Hello Fresh or Gousto boxes – private chefs are there to help fuel players.

Someone who knows all about it is Tommy Cole , who has been a private chef for seven years and started working full-time for footballers in London this year. Tommy has a client base of Premier League players, one of which he cooks for on every weekday evening, while he also prepares meals for five others on a regular basis.

He has documented the sort of food he makes on his social media accounts. It reveals that, while nutrition is important for top athletes, they can still enjoy the sort of eye-catching and delicious food you would expect from a private chef, like chicken breast with a chicken bonbon, chicken jus, charred corn, corn puree and garlic mashed potato, or bao buns filled with duck, prawns, pickled vegetables and coleslaw.

Tommy previously worked all over the world as a private chef where the brief was often very different. Now he has to balance the flavour with the nutritional aspect, which is why he is in contact with the nutritionist at the Premier League club where his client plays.

“It can be a bit tricky because you’ve got two kinds of minds: the chef head which wants to use more butter or whatever to make it as tasty as possible but the nutritionist brain wants to consider the client’s goals,” he tells Mirror Football . “You can definitely get a balance where the food is really good, top quality but still healthy. Also, when it’s day-in, day-out sort of food, most people don’t want really rich stuff.”

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Tommy’s main client is relaxed when it comes to the menu, allowing him plenty of opportunity to use his chef’s flare. But much of the inventiveness comes from trying to find ways to incorporate ingredients that align with the ultimate goal.

“Players are at the club for most of the day and get the bulk of their meals there, which are controlled by the club. It’s normally just evening meals that are catered for by themselves, a family member or a chef,” he explains.

“Ultimately the player is my client, so I cook what he wants, but it’s informed by the nutritionist. Unless the player specifically asked me to make something that’s in contrast to what the nutritionist is saying, it would generally be in keeping with their nutritional guidelines.”

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That doesn’t mean fish and a rice cake, like the internet-famous amateur bodybuilder . Instead, it can mean a wide range of meals, from teriyaki confit duck leg with edamame beans, apasagus and noodles, to, the night before a match, carbohydrate-high Korean fried rice with gochujang, vegetables and prawns.

“It’s more common now, particularly after Covid,” Tommy says of his job. “For athletes, it’s been a thing for a while, but I think it has become more popular, partly because over the last 20 or so years, there’s been a lot of developments in the sports nutrition world and the awareness of nutrition for performance has become bigger so players have become more switched on.”

Thankfully, for elite footballers, that has led to food that is both tasty and nutritious.