BRAZILIAN football star Gabriel Menino claims that he thought he was “going to die” after copying Cristiano Ronaldo’s diet.

Despite now being 38, the Portuguese legend remains in incredible shape due to his eating, exercise routine and sleep and rest.

Cristiano Ronaldo remains in top physical condition due to his strict diet

Many athletes have tried to copy the eating and exercise habits of the 38-year-old

As we revealed previously, Ronaldo leads the most disciplined of lifestyles but can eat up to SIX meals a day, with fish a big part of his diet.

Swordfish, tuna and braised cod are particular favourites.

He regards chicken as ‘magical’ due to its high protein and low fat content.

For breakfast Ronaldo will eat egg or ham and cheese and low-fat yoghurt and if he doesn’t have it for brekkie, the now Al-Nassr forward will wolf down avocado toast for snacks during the day.

Lunch No1 could consist of chicken and salad, while No2 might be fish – maybe tuna with salad, eggs and olives.

Dinner will see the ace, who was released by Manchester United in December after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, fill his boots with meat or fish, maybe breaking them up in two separate sittings.

Steak, swordfish or the Lisbon speciality of Bacalao a la Brasa – a mixture of braised cod, onions, thinly sliced potatoes and scrambled eggs should see him through till bedtime.

We revealed last week how Ronaldo has raised training and nutrition standards since arriving at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

We previously revealed what his typical daily diet consisted of

However, 22-year-old Palmeiras defender Menino, who was previously linked with Chelsea, has also tried to follow suit.

But speaking to Palmeiras Cast, he revealed just how difficult it was to emulate the superstar.

Menino revealed: “I called Mirtes, Palmeiras’ nutritionist, and asked her to make me a Cristiano Ronaldo diet. I wanted to look like Cristiano Ronaldo.

“The diet was like this: breakfast was an egg and supplement. Pre-workout was a supplement, lunch could be grilled and salad. For breakfast it was more supplement, for dinner, again, grilled meat and salad, and before going to bed another supplement. That was it.

“I was warming up and couldn’t take any more running. I just thought, ‘I’m going to die.’ Five minutes into the game, I couldn’t run anymore, I would need to be substituted.

“She [Mirtes] saw from above that I was not well. She asked the masseur to bring me gel and isotonic.”

Although Menino freely admits his struggles to stick with the strict regime, it is still paying for the veteran Ronaldo.

He has just been named the Saudi Pro League player of the month after scoring eight goals and producing two assists in four appearances throughout February.

He will next lead out Al-Nassr at home to Al-Batin on Friday.

Palmeiras star Gabriel Menino felt like he ‘was going to die’ after copying the diet

Cristiano Ronaldo is still producing the goods for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia