It is not unreasonable to imagine that some of Marcos Llorente’s 2.3 million Instagram followers are mainly in it for the health tips. Lean, chiselled and a dedicated disciple of the ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’ school of sporting celebrity, the Atletico Madrid man’s strength and athleticism stands out even in a side synonymous with industry and dynamism. Who wouldn’t want to look like the 30-year-old Spain international? Thereby hangs a tale, though, for the self-discipline and consistency that keep Llorente in prime condition – not to mention certain habits that seem to cross the line from the merely burdensome to the downright bizarre – are not for everyone. Known as ‘bulletproof coffee’ and trademarked by the American entrepreneur and biohacker Dave Asprey, who drew inspiration from yak butter tea, the drink of choice in Tibet and several other Himalayan areas, the beverage has been credited with accelerating the body’s ability to burn fat. Yet the evidence is shaky, with one review of scientific research compiled between 2010 and 2023 identifying ‘potential health concerns linked to butter’ – not least a ‘possible elevation in serum cholesterol’ and ‘gastrointestinal intolerance’. Given Llorente’s impeccable athletic pedigree – his father, Francisco, played for both Atletico and Real Madrid, while his late grandfather was Paco Gento, the Bernabeu legend widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish players in history – he is unlikely to lose too much sleep over those issues. Yet neither is he noted for buying into scientific orthodoxy. Last summer, Llorente posted a shirtless picture from a vacation in Hawaii. Next to it, he outlined his plans for the day, including a four-hour sunbathing session with neither sunscreen nor shades. When his followers pointed out the potential health risks, he came out fighting. ‘If you think skin cancer is caused by the sun, you’re the king of ignorants,’ Llorente countered. While it was a characteristically pugnacious response from a player who unapologetically declared, on making the controversial move from his boyhood club Real Madrid to Atlético in 2019: ‘I leave without any guilt’, the fallout reverberated all the way to the upper echelons of government. ‘Marcos Llorente, soccer player and melanoma denier,’ Spanish health secretary Javier Padilla mused on social media. ‘What a time to be alive.’ If that episode left Llorente feeling the heat, the health claims he made in a video posted shortly before Christmas met with a more icy reception. Braving freezing temperatures in Pozuelo de Alarcón, a town north-west of Madrid, the Atlético man is seen in the footage walking his dogs in a public park, dressed only in shorts and shoes. The accompanying caption reads: ‘Make yourself uncomfortable every day.’ ‘Many don’t know it, but science has shown that cold, among other multiple benefits, raises melatonin,’ Llorente said in a voiceover. ‘I’m not going to catch a cold – on the contrary, it’s impossible for me. Everything requires adaptation and I’ve already been through that. The same thing happens with sun exposure and fasting.’ Llorente once again took a battering over his remarks, with the Spanish sports journalist Paco González suggesting it was irresponsible for the player to offer his social media followers scientific advice, however well-intentioned. ‘Because he has such a perfect body, he exerts a power on the networks that may make people want to imitate him,’ said González. ‘You have to be careful with the messages you transmit.’ Llorente, who also sleeps in a £31,000 bed that reputedly ‘reduces biological age’, is hardly unique among top athletes in putting his faith in alternative approaches to health. Novak Djokovic wears a metallic disc on his chest that he claims brings therapeutic benefits by turning heat into light, and has attributed his success at the Australian Open – scene of 10 of his 24 grand slam tennis titles – partly to a ‘special relationship’ with a tree at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Tom Brady, seen by many as the greatest quarterback in NFL history, has ascribed his success to ‘muscle pliability’, a nebulous theory developed by Alex Guerrero, an Argentinian alternative medical practitioner, that has been widely questioned by sports scientists. And while the American swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, popularised the practice of cupping, which uses suction cups to stimulate blood flow and promote recovery, efforts to identify a scientific basis for the treatment have proved inconclusive. Llorente has addressed scepticism about his health habits, rejecting Padilla’s accusation that he is a melanoma denier – ‘I am neither irresponsible nor disrespectful to those who have suffered it,’ he said – and stressing the importance of informed decision-making. ‘Let everyone read, listen, report, surround themselves with professionals and then decide what they believe in and what is best for their health,’ he wrote in a lengthy social media post addressing the fallout from Sungate. It is worth noting that the Spaniard has put his money where his mouth is. He has launched his own coffee brand, Café Irreverentes, with former Atlético midfielder Ibai Gómez – strapline ‘I don’t do normal’; butter optional – and also co-founded Aureo Lifestyle, a company specialising in photobiomodulation, a form of light therapy that is claimed to promote healing. All the tech, quackery and good genes would count for little, however, without sound nutrition – and there Llorente is on firmer ground. While the Paleo diet followed by the Spaniard is not without its critics – experts point to a risk of nutritional deficiencies – the emphasis on meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit and nuts, all foods our ancient ancestors once enjoyed, is more closely in line with mainstream thinking than many of Llorente’s ideas. ‘It would be eating what was eaten in the Paleolithic [era],’ he explained to Spanish radio show El Larguero last year. ‘You would have to eliminate all ultra-processed foods – don’t even look at them – and also cereals. ‘Everything that is pasta, bread, wheat, rice… and also dairy. Only high-quality cheeses. ‘I eat everything. Meat, like the steak that I love. Fish, eggs, vegetables. And carbohydrates like potatoes, sweet potatoes and cassava.’ ‘With the Paleolithic diet I will go 100 percent. It is a lifestyle and a way of living. With that I will live, and with that I will die. That’s how it is. ‘I do it for health, not because of football. I am clear that when I finish my career, I will continue to take care of myself just as much or more than now.’ The future promises to be interesting.