Real Madrid have hired nutritionist Itziar Gonzalez de Arriba in a bid to address the extensive injury problems they have encountered this season.
The club say they began collaborating with Gonzalez de Arriba last season, helping players manage their diets with a view to preventing injuries, while staff sources — speaking to The Athletic anonymously as they are not authorised to do so publicly — say she has been a more recent addition.
The Basque nutritionist is renowned for her innovative techniques, providing each player with a personalised diet plan, and she has worked with a number of players at Madrid and across La Liga.
Madrid defender Dani Carvajal started working with Gonzalez de Arriba in 2022 in an attempt to put an end to the injuries that had disrupted his career since re-joining the club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013.
He removed gluten, wheat and foods such as tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and potatoes from his diet, which can cause inflammation and affect athletes’ muscles.
“The diet is a little bit weird and a little bit strict, but it’s something that suits me,” the Spain international said before the 2022 Champions League final.
Forward Rodrygo has also worked with her.
Madrid already hired nutritionist Alberto Valino in summer, as revealed by The Athletic. The increase in injuries has also forced the club to move fitness coach Ruben Cipriano from the youth setup to the first team to work alongside Jose Carlos Parrales earlier this season.
Madrid’s 2024-25 campaign has been disrupted by injury. Defenders Eder Militao and Carvajal have both sustained long-term knee injuries and are set to be sidelined for the rest of the season. Militao tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in November, the second time he has suffered an injury of such nature in the space of two seasons.
Castilla midfielder Cesar Palacios and defender Joan Martinez both sustained ACL injuries this summer, while Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba suffered ACL injuries last season, alongside Militao.
First-team members including Aurelien Tchouameni, Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Brahim Diaz and Eduardo Camavinga have all also had spells out through injury this season.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti has frequently criticised the congested football calendar and its role in his squad’s injury problems.
“We’ve looked at what we can do (with injuries), but it’s not in our hands,” Ancelotti said in September. “The calendar is too demanding. A new competition is coming and you don’t know how it’s going to turn out. It may or may not be more entertaining.
“But what is certain is that we have two more matches. If the governing bodies don’t start thinking that players get injured because they play too much, we have a problem. I call for the number of matches to be reduced in order to have more attractive competitions.”
(Oscar Del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)
