FORMER West Ham and Chelsea full-back Scott Minto has revealed every Premier League player was handed FREE McDonald’s when the company became a sponsor almost three decades ago.
Nowadays, top-level footballers are given detailed nutrition plans to optimise performance on the pitch.
That means fast food is largely off the table most of the time.
But when McDonald’s became the official restaurant of the Premier League back in the 1990’s it was a regular for many stars.
That’s because they had access to free unlimited food all year round.
Ex-Prem star Minto has recalled the time he received his very own card and how it made him even more popular among friends.
Speaking at the launch of Ladbrokes’ ‘Gaffer of all Accas’, he said: “I’ve forgotten most of the things that I got up to, back in the day, which is probably a good thing!
“I do remember the McDonald’s card I got given, though. I was at West Ham at the time, so I was in my late twenties.
“Obviously, McDonald’s sponsored the Premier League, and so we were all given a McDonald’s card, where it was basically free McDonald’s, for Premier League footballers, which shouldn’t have been allowed, really!
“I think some of the really professional guys will have given the card away to their friends; you know, I can’t imagine Paolo [Di Canio] walking into a McDonald’s at three o’clock in the morning in London… but I did!
FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS
“I told my mates I’d got this card, and so we used to go out, up in London, and we used to do Titanic, and Sugar Reef, those type of places, and then we’d come out at three or four in the morning. ‘Scotty, Scotty… you got the card?’
“‘Yeah, I’ve got the card!’
“So we’d go into McDonald’s – it wouldn’t be every week! – and I’d order, like, seven Big Mac meals with milkshakes, or whatever, and they’d just look at me like ‘who are you?!’ That was a great time.”
Minto kicked off his career with Charlton and went on to play for Chelsea, Benfica, West Ham and Rotherham.
He made 105 Premier League appearances in total.
