What do U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic, Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, and Serie A players like Jamie Vardy and Santiago Gimenez all have in common? His name is Leonardo Cannavale, also known as Gordon Lenni, an Italian chef who lives in Milan who made his name thanks to his special bond with multiple Serie A players of AC Milan, Inter, Atalanta, Como, Bologna, Genoa, Parma and many other clubs in Italy. It all began in 2024, and in less than a year, he found himself preparing Thanksgiving dinner for AC Milan star Pulisic, a few days after he scored the winning goal against Inter in the Derby della Madonnina.
CBS Sports had the chance to sit down with him to talk about his job and how important the work he does is for the Serie A players, as the growing match congestion and the ever-increasing number of games each year continue to affect players’ off-the-pitch routines.
“Players’ healthy nutrition has become increasingly central to their physical recovery each week, and many now need support not only at the training ground but also at home. That’s when I realized I could be a valuable resource, after my years of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants in London, Barcelona, and Italy. Working alongside club nutritionists or the players’ personal nutritionists, we implement dietary programs for their weekly needs.”
But how did he start thinking about this concept?
“Last year, I started with some Inter players like Lautaro Martinez and Matteo Darmian and luckily they liked the way I was working and introduced me to other players, and then also thanks to my social media accounts a lot of new players reached out to me, asking for some meal plans, as I call them,” he said.
The meal plans are the specific meals prepared ahead of time, allowing players to just remove them from the fridge and warm them up if needed.
“They normally ask for all the macros like carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables. Also, the healthy snacks are very much requested like a dessert or as a mid-day snack,” he said.
Since beginning his work with Serie A players, the Italian chef has expanded his clientele to include not only footballers but also tennis players, basketball players, and other athletes, knowing this is a growing business for the future.
“I believe home nutrition will become an even more crucial part of a player’s health routine in the future. With more games and less time to rest, proper nutrition is increasingly important, yet many players have to manage it themselves and need external support to eat high-quality, healthy meals every day. Healthier lifestyle can also have an impact on their job and also prevent injuries.”
Players like Gimenez, Vardy, Marcus Thuram, Lautaro, Davide Frattesi and Alessandro Bastoni are all part of the “meal plans family,” as he likes to mention in his social media posts. He became a point of reference not only for the players but also for the families of the same players that also ask him to prepare daily meals. A few weeks ago, he cooked for Pulisic and some other players including Atalanta’s American Yunus Musah and AC Milan players Fikayo Tomori and Ruben Loftus-Cheek while they were watching NFL on a Sunday.
A lot of his work has to do with the relationships he builds every day with the players, and as a matter of fact most of them decided to trust him on a daily or weekly basis, including Pulisic.
“He asked me to cook his Thanksgiving dinner for him. I know it’s a special day for his family and after scoring the winning goal in the derby, is also a special week for him. It all feels incredible.”
For Pulisic, he prepared a classic American Thanksgiving meal of turkey, green beans, and sweet potatoes with marshmallows, but no dessert.
After all, it may be a holiday, but a key match against Lazio at San Siro awaits on Saturday. The pumpkin pie can wait.
