How Islam Slimani missed Sporting's free lunch and lived on frozen pizza

January 18, 2026 • 0 • min read

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How Islam Slimani missed Sporting's free lunch and lived on frozen pizza

Former Sporting CP striker Islam Slimani has revealed that on his first season with the club he survived almost exclusively on frozen pizza, instant noodles, tuna and margarine for an entire year, simply because he didn't know the club offered lunch at the academy.

Slimani, now 37 and currently playing for Romanian side CFR Cluj, spent two spells at Sporting, first arriving in 2013 and leaving in 2016, before returning again in 2021/22.

But whilst his first stint proved hugely successful on the pitch, the Algerian admits his off-pitch routine at the time was far from professional.

Speaking in an interview on journalist Colin Dicanot's channel, Slimani explained he was so focused on training and improving under head coach Leonardo Jardim that he completely overlooked his nutrition.

I was hungry when I arrived at Sporting. My life was like this: I went to training, came home, and ate a pizza - one of those frozen ones. I swear it's true.

Frozen pizza at midday. And I ate noodles too, the ones that come in a packet and you just boil them. I ate that every day - plus tuna and margarine.

Slimani then detailed the routine that dominated his first year in Portugal: training, rushing home to eat quickly, sleeping, having coffee, then finishing whatever food was left later that night or even the next day.

I did that for a year. I never went to a restaurant once. I swear. And I didn't know how to cook.

The Best Part? Sporting Offered Lunch - But He Had No Idea

The story became even more comical when Slimani revealed that Sporting actually offered meals at the academy, but he didn't realise.

You know what's worst? They gave lunch at the academy, but I didn't know.

I was so focused I didn't even notice. I'd just go home straight after training. And nobody asked me why I wasn't going to eat.

A Cult Hero at Sporting

Despite the questionable diet, Slimani's performances were anything but unhealthy.

Wearing the green and white shirt, he played 123 matches for Sporting (plus one with the B team), scoring 61 goals and registering nine assists.

Sporting signed Slimani in 2013 from Algerian club CR Belouizdad, paying just €300,000 - a fee that later looked like one of the bargains of the decade, given his impact in Portugal.

His story, whilst hilarious, also offers a surprisingly relatable glimpse into life as a young footballer abroad, where adaptation, routine and tunnel vision can sometimes lead to unexpected (and very funny) outcomes.

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