Marcos Llorente is not your average footballerr

There are footballers renowned for their professional ethic and meticulous attention to every off-field detail aimed at maximizing performance—then there’s Marcos Llorente. Between circadian rhythm, a Paleolithic diet, shirtless winter walks, and the use of yellow and red lenses to filter light, the Atlético Madrid player has intrigued and attracted many people with his ideas, existing in a limbo between the admiration of some teammates and the occasionally mocking interest of the media. By sharing his lifestyle and presenting arguments to justify his choices, Llorente inadvertently challenges the stereotype of footballers as lacking knowledge or critical thinking. One may agree or disagree with the ideas he studies and promotes on social media, but one thing is certain: such an unconventional character inevitably sparks curiosity.

Who is Marcos Llorente?

Born in Madrid in 1995, Marcos Llorente has been one of Diego Simeone’s most trusted players at Atlético Madrid for the past seven seasons. The Colchoneros coach admires him above all for his versatility, having deployed him in virtually every outfield position. Today, he embodies the club’s values and stands as one of its symbols, yet he had to arrive humbly after spending 11 years at Real Madrid between youth teams and the first squad. In Spain, he has always been appreciated for his professionalism and healthy diet, influenced by his father Paco, also a former footballer who split most of his career between the two Madrid clubs.

After adopting extremely strict regimes—later considered excessive by himself—Marcos has, over the past couple of years, found his balance, reaching what he now considers the happiest period of his life. All the measures that define his current lifestyle are not directly aimed at improving his on-field performance; rather, they pursue a broader sense of well-being in which football is just one piece of the puzzle. As he has stated, once football no longer rewards him, he will retire—certainly before his body forces him to. His genuine frankness has also emerged in interviews, most recently during a national team camp, when he calmly said that not being called up to the Spanish squad would not be the end of the world, as he would be equally happy.

Circadian rhythm and routine

Before specific diets and other practices, the fundamental element for Marcos Llorente is the sun and its light. His days, much like in past centuries, are structured around a circadian rhythm heavily influenced by the presence and absence of natural light. Even Pep Guardiola, in a recent press conference—speaking in his typically cryptic way—suggested that the impressive form of his teams in April might be linked to the increased daylight in Manchester. Within 24 hours, all activities are concentrated during daylight, while night—or better yet, darkness—is reserved exclusively for rest. This aims to achieve physical balance by optimizing body temperature, metabolism, and hormonal production, aligning an internal clock that suppresses melatonin and boosts serotonin from dawn to dusk.

Blood pressure, heart rate, cognitive abilities, and appetite are all influenced by this daily rhythm. For Marcos Llorente, it begins by waking just before sunrise. After getting up, he goes outside to expose himself to sunlight while sipping a cup of Bulletproof Coffee, made with two or three spoonfuls of grass-fed butter. Then, before training, he takes a shirtless walk—even in winter, as documented on social media—because exposure to cold early in the morning aids recovery, naturally increases melatonin, strengthens the immune system, and builds mental discipline. Meals are confined to a relatively short window, with the most substantial one being lunch around 2–2:30 PM. Dinner takes place shortly before sunset, so its timing varies seasonally, from around 5:30 PM in winter to 7:30 PM in summer. His descanso—bedtime—remains consistently between 10 and 10:30 PM.

The Paleolithic diet and fine wine

As for nutrition, the 31-year-old follows a Paleolithic diet. Inspired by what humans ate in that era, this regime emphasizes high protein intake while eliminating added sugars and minimizing carbohydrates. Ultra-processed foods, cereals, gluten, and dairy are avoided, while meat, fish, eggs, fruits, and vegetables are favored. The only carbohydrates allowed are low-impact ones such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cassava. Llorente states that he eats only when his body truly feels hungry, unlike people who eat at fixed times out of habit.

The need to find places outside his home that align with his dietary choices led him, in 2019, to open a healthy restaurant chain called Naked & Sated. Among the co-founders is Ibai Gómez, a former teammate during Llorente’s loan spell at Deportivo Alavés. What began as a shared idea has grown into a business with seven locations and involvement from other footballers such as Deulofeu and Iborra. Staying on the topic, Llorente has also been a partner in another restaurant, Rhudo, and is an ambassador for a line of kombucha, a sugar-free sparkling beverage.

All this does not exclude a taste for fine dining and good wine—an indulgence that provides what might be called social benefits. Sharing a bottle of wine with knowledgeable friends, enjoying laughter and conversation, brings Llorente great pleasure—something he believes should be savored from time to time. His passion for wine has even led him to build a small private collection at home, located in the prestigious area of Pozuelo de Alarcón, a favored residential enclave for Madrid’s footballers.

The sleep ring and colored lenses

Another of the Madrid-born player’s secrets is his meticulous attention to sleep. While we’ve already mentioned his rest schedule aligned with the circadian rhythm, we have yet to cover the elements that enhance the quality of his 8–9 hours of sleep. He wears a titanium smart ring that tracks his sleep, physical condition, and stress levels, keeping everything constantly monitored. Additionally, a custom-made bed costing around €35,000, equipped with a system called HOGO, regulates his sleep cycle. This mattress creates a sort of shield that expels electromagnetic fields absorbed throughout the day and night, maintains stable body temperature, and adjusts to weight and height—promising full recovery from athletic exertion.

Finally, we arrive at what, over the past two years, has significantly altered Llorente’s habits and drawn widespread attention, sparking both criticism and admiration: glasses with yellow and red lenses. While outdoors he fully embraces natural sunlight, never wearing sunglasses, the approach changes indoors. To filter harmful rays from artificial lighting—lamps, phones, and televisions—he uses two types of lenses: yellow during the day and red in the evening. These filters make artificial light resemble natural sunlight as closely as possible.

To support this practice, Llorente has installed specialized LEDs in his home that emit red and infrared light, which he uses after dark. Other footballers have also experimented with similar tools: Erling Haaland has been seen using red light therapy, while Spanish players such as Morata, Baena, Canales, and Grimaldo have been photographed wearing yellow lenses, albeit outdoors. Llorente’s entrepreneurial side has also emerged here, as he co-founded Aureo Lightstyle, a brand that sells lamps, light bulbs, and glasses with yellow and red filters.

His bond with Deulofeu

As mentioned, in Marcos Llorente’s life football is just one piece of a larger mosaic, where friends and family—his wife, whom he met in high school, and their one-year-old daughter Amor—are placed on the same level, if not above. One of the people closest to him is Gerard Deulofeu, with whom he has developed a strong bond in recent years after crossing paths on the pitch. Their connection deepened through shared interests in health and physical well-being, with Deulofeu embracing the principles of what some call “llorentismo.” After the severe injury that has kept the former Udinese player sidelined since 2023, the two have grown even closer, also physically, as Deulofeu spent part of his rehabilitation period in Madrid. He has openly stated how meeting Llorente has changed his life.

The former Barcelona player is not the only one influenced by Llorente’s lifestyle. Several Atlético teammates have testified to adopting changes in their daily habits after witnessing its effects firsthand. On Instagram, he appears almost like an Adonis—muscular, constantly tanned, with long blond hair. He proudly claims to have significantly reduced injuries over the past two years and, despite his shirtless walks in the cold, to have avoided even common colds. His discipline, however, does not prevent him from dining out with teammates, even if it disrupts his routine: the balance lies precisely here—following rules while being aware that occasionally breaking them allows him to fully enjoy life without becoming dogmatic.