Rice pudding makes all the difference

22 June 2012 14:16

German team cook Holger Stromberg says he has to battle a few dietary superstitions as he looks to do his bit to turn Die Mannschaft into a lean Euro 2012 winning machine.

Some swear by traditional schnitzel or escalope, some like sweets, others swear by ... rice pudding.

"Schnitzel - that would be like a reward - so only after the final," joked Stromberg, while accepting that a little variety does no harm as "players are energy machines and burn off calories quickly."

He told Berliner Zeitung daily that "one player told me in all seriousness the reason we didn't win the 2006 World Cup was because the day before the semi-final against Italy (Italy won 2-0) there was no rice pudding. I try to keep such superstitions to a minimum."

Source: AFP