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esports
How I fuel: Ryan Pessoa
The FIFA esports athlete on nutritional work with Man City, baking disasters and the importance of finding a balance in life.
It's fair to say Manchester City have had some major successes with signings over the past decade. Think Sergio Agüero, Kevin De Bruyne, and more recently Rúben Dias, who's just been awarded the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.
Well, there's another pro athlete looking to write their name into City folklore in the next few seasons. Only you won't see him on Match of the Day...
That would be FIFA star Ryan Pessoa, an eClub World Cup quarter finalist and one of the most exciting gamers in esports right now. Unsurprisingly, donning the jersey of the Premier League champions brings its own pressures, but thanks to hard work, determination and an ability to score worldies at the drop of a hat, he's well placed for some major success.
Ryan Pessoa can help you improve your game
© Mark Roe / Red Bull Content Pool
But what goes into the diet of a top esports athlete who represents one of Europe's premier football teams? How should you stay on top of energy levels during a FIFA tournament? And what can really help you focus?
Last year's Fnatic UK Masters finalist talks through his nutritional hits and misses…
How do you kick off a normal day food-wise?
I usually start the morning with a bowl of oats. Some days I’ll put cinnamon or apple or banana in there as well. Then I’ll have a bagel with scrambled eggs on the side – it’s a big breakfast, but I’m trying to gain weight and get plenty of calories into my diet before hitting the gym at 9am or so.
I’m starting to incorporate a lot of fish like salmon and mackerel into my diet, as it helps a lot with focus and concentration
Can you talk about some work you’ve done with the nutritionists at Man City?
Together with the nutritionists at City we’ve been doing a lot of research into things that help with focus, like different fatty fish, but also avocado and blueberries. I’m eating these things more so than I did before, but I hate blueberries – they’re disgusting! I’m always open to trying new things if I’ve seen it has benefits. I’m starting to incorporate a lot of fish like salmon and mackerel into my diet, as it helps a lot with focus and concentration when performing.
What’s the best piece of nutritional advice you’ve ever had?
I previously struggled eating at tournaments – the nerves would overcome me. I’d skip breakfast, scared that I’d throw up. But an expert at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre (APC) over in Austria told me, “It’s your mind telling you that you’re not hungry". She also recommended a replacement meal in a protein shake with small sachets, which has been a big help.
Ryan Pessoa at the Red Bull APC
© Luis Gallo / Red Bull Content Pool
Did you glean any other tips from Red Bull’s APC?
They gave me a list of yoghurts to try back in the UK and there was one that was awful, really thick. It had a lot of protein and I tried it for a couple of days, but it wasn’t for me. However, they did say that some cereal bars were really good to eat at tournaments. You get crumbs everywhere, but they’re packed with energy, so I'll sometimes have one of those to keep up energy levels after the first leg of a game.
How do you use Red Bull?
At live tournaments, I’d have it an hour or 45 minutes before the first game, usually during a warmup. I usually drink Red Bull Sugarfree. When you play so many games it’s all about high concentration – if you slip up in any part you might end up conceding a goal and not doing as well as you had planned to. If I notice my energy levels or my performance is dropping, I’ll drink another Red Bull during the breaks. At home, however, I’ve got my own Red Bull fridge within reaching distance, so I can grab a can while I’m streaming.
At home I’ve got my own Red Bull fridge within reaching distance, so I can grab a can while I’m streaming
Students aren’t known for the healthiest of diets. How was yours at university while you balanced your studies with elite FIFA tournaments?
Difficult. Some days would be full of lectures, nine to five, while I also played for both the university football team and for [esports group] Hashtag United, who were based in Essex. I’d have to travel back and forth between there and campus [the University of Surrey] and I definitely wasn’t fuelling myself properly. It was hard, so I started to cook a lot in one go and just portion it up, knowing that all I had to do was get it out of the fridge, heat it up and that was it.
Ryan Pessoa has learned a lot from Red Bull's Athlete Performance Centre
© Red Bull Content Pool
Does your eating change throughout the season?
At the start of a season, when the new game comes out and there are new mechanics to learn, I’m less organised with what I eat. I’m trying not to make the same mistake going into the next FIFA because I’ve learned how key it is to have a balance in life. Learning the game to get ahead of the curve is really important, of course, but fitness and nutrition is just as important.
Balance is everything, right?
When you’re tired and you’re sat in front of a screen for 10 hours or more a day, and you aren’t getting the right nutrients, your energy depletes. You notice that. It might not happen instantly but after a week or so you get tired, your energy isn’t there as well as it was at the start.
Ryan Pessoa
© Getty Images
We’re coming over. What are you cooking for us?
Recently I’ve had a lot of salmon. So we’d have that with some mixed vegetables, green beans, broccoli, carrots, potatoes and a side salad. I’m a pretty good cook to be fair! It’s difficult now because I live at home with just my mum and we have separate goals with what we eat. There’s also not enough space for us to both cook at the same time in the kitchen, so I’ve started a subscription with a meal prep website where you can buy readymade meals [some of Man City's players also use food prep services].
Have you not introduced your mum to your nutritional programme?
Her diet is the flip opposite to mine. She’s very healthy but she exercises and eats to lose weight, while I’m trying to gain weight. So there’s a clash. That’s why I thought that instead of clogging up space and time in the kitchen I’d seek external opportunities like meal preps done for me.
Do you have cheat days?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a takeaway once a week or so. Right now my cheat day would align with the gym and me looking to gain weight, which means I’d probably have pizza as it has a lot of calories. I don’t eat any other fast food really. Even during lockdown when I was playing competitions and looking for a takeaway, I’d order Italian, lots of pasta and carbs to help with energy. I do love Italian food – I remember finishing a tournament in Milan and then hitting the restaurants there.
Ryan Pessoa
© Mark Roe / Red Bull Content Pool
So you have a sweet tooth?
A massive sweet tooth. Cheesecakes are something I’ve been delving into a lot this past month or so. I just had a salted caramel and chocolate chip protein bar.
Do you watch any food TV shows?
Only the bake-off shows. I’m actually terrible at baking. At the start of lockdown, I thought I’d try and pick up a new skill and get into making cakes, but it was an awful experience. I was working with a Victoria sponge cake mix from the supermarket and I couldn’t even bring myself to eat it.
