David Beckham has admitted he worried he would end up running like a snail on the pitch - after he one ate a record 32 escargots in one four hour sitting.
The 46-year-old was playing for Paris Saint-Germain at the time he ate the snails at Chez L'Ami, and he says he put extra effort in at training afterwards for fear the giant meal would affect his fitness.
Food lover Becks said: "My record of eating escargots is 32 at one dinner. They're big. They come in trays of six or nine. I was in there with Victoria once and we were in there for about four hours and had the most amazing wine.
"I used to go in there once a week. I shouldn't have done, because I was a professional athlete and I try to watch what I eat, but I made sure I ran harder the next day.
"They used to let me come in at 7, the first service was at 7.30 but no one would come in then. I used to turn up at seven, and by the time the first people were coming in at 7.45/ eight o'clock I was walking out.
"I used to do that once a week on my own. I didn't care that I was on my own. I didn't drink the wine but I sat there eating the most amazing food. They bring a tub of creme fraiche out at the end, and dollop it on the plate."
Speaking on the River Cafe Table 4 podcast, admitted not all his food when playing for football clubs was delicious.
He said: "Certain managers would only want us to eat boiled chicken which is disgusting. No ketchup.
"And then you have the opposite when I was living in Milan. I was kind of thinking 'how am I going to be fitness wise because I'm going to be eating a lot of pasta, a lot of olive oil, whatever'. But it was actually one of the fittest I've ever been."
In this week's podcast which is part 2 of his interview, Becks also told how one of his favourite comfort foods is baked beans.
He said: "After talking about all of this great food and all of these great restaurants I go to, my comfort food is a packet of salt and vinegar Discos. And maybe a toastie made in the Breville toaster with baked beans.
"I put the bread in, Hovis, a little bit of butter on the outside so it doesn't stick, I put the baked beans in, toast it for four or five minutes, and open it up. No cheese.
"That and a packet of Discos. I'm more of a crisp man than a chocolate.
Last week he shocked listeners by admitting he spent thousands of pounds on wine when he didn't know what it would taste like and how wife Victoria ate the same meal for two decades.
In part one of the podcast he said: "I get quite emotional about food and wine. When I'm eating something great I want everyone to try it.
"Unfortunately, I'm married to someone who has eaten the same thing for the last 25 years. Since I've met Victoria, she only eats grilled fish, steamed vegetables. She'll very rarely deviate away from there."
The full interview with Beckham is on the latest River Cafe Table 4 podcast, out now.
