When Rubén Sobrino moved up into the elite of Spanish football, he received advice on the importance of proper nutrition for obtaining peak performance. The striker took the tips onboard and soon reaped the benefits of cleaning up his diet, recovering more quickly from exercise and feeling less tired.

"There's a lot of debate amongst players about the food that we eat, and for me it's an important thing. If a player doesn't control their diet and they are playing at a good level on a good team, then what would happen if they watched what they eat?" Sobrino told VCF Media from his home, where he has been sticking to his dietary regime.

Sobrino has also been reading the book ‘Fast Food Saludable’ by Chef Bosquet, and is following the 'tasty, easy-to-make' recipes sent to him by Valencia CF nutritionist Carlos Ferrando.

Although he is a fan of paella Valenciana, he refrains from eating the rice dish except when on holiday. His favourite food is a potato stew prepared by his mother, with peppers, potatoes, garlic, onions and salt. Again, the dish will have to wait whilst the season is still ongoing.

The forward has been educating himself about nutrition since 2014, when his friend Andy undertook a higher education course on the subject. He has continued to learn more in the intervening years.

"I'm very keen to help the team to achieve their objectives, and for that reason the most important thing is to come back as fit as possible -both physically and psychologically," says Sobrino.