Sponsored by
FORMER Tottenham striker Peter Crouch has recalled the time he tried following Gareth Bale's pre-match diet.
Crouch spent two years with Spurs before joining Stoke City in 2011.
During that time he managed 45 goal contributions in 93 games and played alongside the likes of Luka Modric and Jermain Defoe.
But he claims Bale stunned him more than anyone else.
In a recent episode of his podcast - - the ex-striker revealed that he even started copying Bale's pre-match meal in a bid to match his performance levels.
Crouch explained: "You know, what changed for me was watching Gareth Bale.
Read More on Man Utd
"I've talked about this before, watching Gareth be the most intense runs, the most distance covered, it was ridiculous.
"He was one of the most fittest players I've ever seen.
"He'd just literally have baked beans on toast every time. And I thought, 'what is in those beans?'
"So I started doing it. I started doing baked beans on toast.
Most read in Football
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
"I thought it must be the difference. It didn't quite work for me!
"But you know when you see other people doing different things and, certainly later on in your career, you see definitely the chefs and stuff at the training ground has changed."
Crouch was discussing pre-match meals with co-host Steve Sidwell when the topic of Bale came up.
The former England star also revealed that he would usually eat chicken, pasta and boiled potatoes before a match - sometimes at 9am if he was preparing for an early kick-off.
After leaving Tottenham, Crouch went on to spend eight years at Stoke before retiring at Burnley.