Kobbie Mainoo has been through it this season. Benched. Almost shipped out to Napoli on loan. Then Ruben Amorim got the sack, Mainoo worked his way back into the starting XI, signed a new contract last month, and now he’s headed to the World Cup with England. So yeah, he’s got some things to say.
In a recent interview with Manchester United’s official site, the 21-year-old midfielder gave fans a pretty detailed look at what goes into his matchday routine. And it’s not exactly what you’d expect from a guy playing in front of 70,000 people.
Breakfast? Sometimes It’s Pasta
Mainoo doesn’t stick to a rigid pregame meal plan. He plays it by feel. If he knows it’s going to be a high-volume running day, he loads up on carbs. More pasta, stuff like that. If the game has a 12:30 kickoff, he’ll happily eat pasta at 9 a.m. On a normal matchday, he keeps breakfast light: eggs, avocado, maybe some sourdough toast.
He also revealed a weird little ritual before every match. A shot of beetroot juice. No explanation for why, but it’s apparently non-negotiable.
The Dressing Room Routine
When he gets to the changing room, Mainoo doesn’t waste time. He gets changed fast, then does 20 to 25 minutes of stretching while listening to music. After that, he hits the treatment table for a bit. From there, he’s basically just killing time — more music, some light kicking around. He sits next to Amad in the locker room, and according to Mainoo, Amad is always kicking a ball around.
But superstition? Nah. Mainoo said he actually tries to avoid getting superstitious because he knows it creeps in. If he catches himself thinking, “I’ve done this same thing nine times in a row,” he’ll deliberately change it up. Just to keep any weird rituals from taking hold.
The Tunnel Walk
This is where Mainoo got real. Waiting to walk onto the pitch at Old Trafford, he said you can feel the energy physically. Like you could reach out and grab it. The whole place vibrating. Seventy-plus-thousand people screaming for you to win, and you’re walking out with your teammates, your friends. He called it a feeling that’s hard to describe. Euphoric.
At halftime, he’s just trying to get his lungs back. Relax, refuel, reset for the second half.
And after the final whistle? Relief more than celebration. Three points in the bag and everyone’s happy, but Mainoo said the team isn’t trying to get too happy about it. The goal is to make winning feel normal. The manager speaks, and then they move on to the next one.
One thing’s for sure: the kid’s got perspective. And a pretty solid pregame playlist.
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