Battle of the Buffet, Messi’s favourite and Pep’s ban - Football’s storied past with pizza

Pizza and football have long had a love-hate relationship.

From food fights to players simply piling on too many pounds by overindulging in the treat, pizza has a questionable reputation in the game.

With the season winding down, though, and no major summer tournament for the game’s top stars to focus on, this is the perfect time to indulge.

And it just so happens that the final day of the season in the Premier League this season falls upon Bitcoin Pizza Day, giving stars double the reason to celebrate with the dish.

But what on earth is Bitcoin Pizza Day? 

Quite simply, it marks the anniversary of Bitcoin miner Laszlo Hanyecz successfully completing his quest to buy two large pizzas for 10,000 BTC.

It began on May 18, 2010, when he posted on a forum of his intent to buy the meal using the cryptocurrency. Four days later, Jeremy Sturdivant, a student, took him up on the deal.

At the time, the 10,000 bitcoin he traded were worth around $41, but had he cashed in when Bitcoin hit its high, these would have been worth in the region of $690 million – or around 46 million large pizzas.

This was a watershed moment in cryptocurrency as it was the first real world transaction in which it was used.

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If pizza is forever associated with this positive outcome in the crypto world, perhaps its most famous involvement in modern football history is far more infamous.

Back in 2004, Manchester United and Arsenal were the dominant forces in the Premier League and often took part in fiery clashes. The most famous of these came that year in October at Old Trafford as Arsenal’s famous 49-match undefeated record was ended thanks to a Wayne Rooney double.

Following the match, there was a scuffle in the tunnel and legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was hit by a pizza launched by Cesc Fabregas. Pizzagate was born.

But the humble pizza is not just associated with that dubious incident at Old Trafford.

Indeed, it became a symbol of Leicester City’s freewheeling success in the 2015-16 season, when manager Claudio Ranieri promised to buy his team pizza if they could keep a clean sheet against Stoke following a 3-2 win over Watford.

In a campaign full of legendary stories and anecdotes, the Foxes did, of course, manage to shut out the Potters and the manager was as good as his word. Dilly ding, dilly dong!

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One player who famously enjoys a pizza is one of the game’s undoubted greats, Lionel Messi. The PSG star is known to love the dish and has frequently had it as his post-match meal to replace lost calories during a tough game. His go-to variety is, apparently, margherita.

What is known, however, is that the Manchester City boss is not nearly as fond of the dish as his former attacker.

When he moved to City in 2016, Guardiola banned his players from dining on pizza in their post-match meals in a bid to improve the club’s injury problems.

When City won the 2020-21 Premier League title, though, he revealed that the squad all had a pizza party. 

It would certainly be fitting for Guardiola’s team to celebrate again accordingly on Bitcoin Pizza Day come Sunday if they retain the English top-flight crown.