IN 2013, after suffering from a series of niggling injuries that were hampering his form, Lionel Messi decided to make a lifestyle change.
Admittedly, the former Barcelona hero didn't have the best diet - living off pizza and red meat at the time.
But, as he got older, intolerances to what he was consuming caused a reaction in his body that would see the little No10 vomit uncontrollably on the pitch.
Messi, 35, flew to Italy to meet with Dr Giuliano Poser in Sacile to discuss his issues.
Poser, a sports medicine practitioner for more than two decades, preached methods somewhat different to his contemporaries.
Lionel Messi posts emotional message after 'year I will never forget'
Nutrition, postural corrections, osteopathy, Bach flowers, kinesiology, massage and emotional therapy are all key components in Poser's arsenal.
TOUGH ON THE SEVEN-TIME BALLON D'OR WINNER
Messi was told, according to well-informed Argentine journalist Veronica Brunati, to eat only what his body needs, not what it wants.
Out went foods that aren't well tolerated by the body.
Flours, yeasts and refined wheat that's found in pasta, pizza and white bread were eliminated.
Pork and beef, eggs, shellfish and dairy products were off the menu too in the diet overhaul.
Alcohol intake, of course, was also banned. As was Messi's love for fizzy soft drinks.
They were replaced with more organic and fresh foods, mineral water and South American caffeine-rich infused drink, yerba mate tea.
Poser said: “Vegetables, seasonal fruits and a good mineral water are essential fuels for our muscles.
"You have to reduce the intake of processed foods or foods contaminated with pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, medications.”
Mirror Football's Premier League team of 2022 as champions dominate
BACH FLOWER REMEDIES
But it wasn't just about diet.
As part of his more colourful approach, Poser encouraged Messi to undertake emotional work, psychotherapy and take Bach flower remedies.
The latter might seem like a hippified solution in combating stress and anxiety, but the Bach flower is said to restore the balance between mind and body.
The science says it targets the limbic system, a part of your brain that deals with emotions, memories and arousal.
By simply dissolving a number of drops on your tongue or in water, fear, worry, hatred and indecision are believed to be allayed.
Lighter by 3kgs, Messi came back firing in the 2014-15 season, scoring 58 goals - he'd managed 41 the previous year.
He also played an additional 11 games that he might've missed through injury in the past.
Poser's advice put Messi in good stead and has helped him prolong his status at the top of the game.
VISITS TO POSER STOPPED
When he became Barcelona captain, succeeding Andres Iniesta, Messi's visits to Poser stopped.
Then the diminutive maestro pinned his hopes on Dr Maria Antonia Lizarraga Dallo, who leads Barcelona's nutrition team, before leaving for PSG in 2021.
But Poser is well aware of the effect looking after the well-being of one of sports' biggest names has had on his life.
He told Mundo Deportivo: "I’d say the Messi effect turned my life upside down, especially during the first three months, because the phone never stopped ringing and journalists appeared from all the corners of the world, who I didn’t see, of course.
"That affects anyone’s day-to-day, ever more for a person like me, living a very calm life.
"But, all around the world they’ve seen and they see Messi, and since then they can’t no longer doubt my method. It can be seen every week."
HIGUAIN AND DYBALA
And Messi isn't Poser's only success story. Gonzalo Higuain came to the Italian with a crisis of confidence in 2015.
On the doctor's advice, he stopped eating red meat, limited his fish intake and replaced sugar with hone in his diet.
The Argentinian poacher lost a remarkable 4kgs as he went on to have the season of his life, netting 38 times in 42 games.
After nearly firing Napoli to a Serie A title win, he earned a big money move to Juventus for £75.3million a season later but has now retired after a stint with Inter Miami.
And in 2018, then-Juventus star Paulo Dybala visited Dr Poser in an attempt to recover from injury in time for a Champions League last-16 tie against Tottenham.
While Dybala missed the first leg, he did return for the second to score the winning goal in the tie that knocked Spurs out... it seems that the doc clearly knows what he's talking about.
