I’m a former Premier League and England star – I have to pay price of Tesco meal deal for lunch at my club

FORMER Premier League striker Patrick Bamford has revealed that Leeds United make players PAY for their own lunch.

But, in truth, Bamford and his team-mates can bag a buffet style meal for the price of Tesco meal deal.

Patrick Bamford has revealed that Leeds United deduct food prices from the players wages

Bamford joined the My Mates a Footballer podcast with Joe Wilkinson after making his senior debut for England in September 2021

On his podcast, My Mate’s a Footballer, which Bamford co-hosts with comedian Joe Wilkinson, the Leeds ace revealed that players aren’t handed everything on a silver platter.

Wilkinson asked: “How many meals do you have on a normal training day at your training centre canteen?”

The once-capped England star replied: “Two every day”, before Wilkinson interjected with: “Wow two free meals a day, blimey.”

But the Leeds man quickly corrected his co-host by confirming: “No, we pay for it. It gets deducted from your salary.”

Before the shocked comic repeated: “What! Are you kidding? Do you know much it is?”

To which Bamford responded: “I’m gonna say £3.50 a day. But this might be miles off.”

Wilkinson laughed and said: “Okay, okay. I thought you were gonna say £55-per-day. That’s like the price of school dinners isn’t it?”

Bamford then quizzed him: “Do you not get the same before you perform at gigs?”

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But Wilkinson said: “No, the venue just normally offers food. Do I have a better job than you in this area?

“I think I’m winning in an area, which is incredible.” Before Bamford bemusingly chimed in: “To which I am suffering.”

Patrick Bamford’s contract with Leeds expires next summer

As of August 2024, the price of a standard Tesco meal deal has risen from £3.40 to £3.60 for those with a Clubcard.

In fact, Bamford’s food is cheaper than a customer without a Clubcard – who must fork out four quid.

But players are NOT subjected to cold sandwiches, a packet of crisps and a Redbull.

Instead, Bamford later revealed that the athletes are treated to a big bowl of pasta.

He added: “On the way down we’ll get sent a Google sheets form where you put in your name and it says you have a choice of one of the pastas; Penne, Gnocchi, Gluten Free Penne or Fusilli.

“Those are the pasta options then the sauce options, and you can mix and match if you want, are green pesto, healthy bechamel white sauce, tomato and basil sauce, olive oil and red pesto.

“Then you can add as many of these as you want; peppers, chestnut mushrooms, peas, diced tomatoes, red onions, spinach, chicken, king prawns, chilli flakes, feta, cheddar and parmesan.

“You can put in what you like.”

The former England star signed a £70million-a-year deal to remain at Elland Road for five years in August 2021, when Leeds were in the Prem.

This makes him the highest earner at the now Championship club, who are vying for promotion back to the top-flight after losing the play-off final to Southampton.

Bamford is reportedly expected to listen to offers in the summer after growing frustrated under Daniel Farke.

The 31-year-old has been limited to roles from the bench this term after suffering from injuries over the last year.

The striker has played for the Yorkshire giants since joining for £7m in 2018 and has made 203 appearances, scoring 69 goals in the process.

Bamford has struggled for game time this season due to injuries, which have restricted him to just four appearances in this campaign.

Bamford’s stats from last season