Johnny Ondina, the nutrition man who feels the derby from Valencia

Johnny Ondina (Jonathan Gómez Beltrán) watches the derby from Valencia, but it’s still in his blood. Sport reports that he is the son of former Oviedo player José Manuel Gómez Ondina, and that he was developed at Mareo before playing for Sporting’s youth ranks until reaching the reserve team in Segunda B. He also says that, when he was younger, the family rivalry with his father was sharper—now he lives the derby weeks “from a more neutral point of view”, as Sport quotes.

From player to nutrition reference

Ondina retired young, aged 28 or 29, after a tough stint at Ibiza where, according to Sport, the squad went “the whole year without pay”. He then turned fully to nutrition, starting from a personal realization: while he played, he says he noticed he had a health-and-eating issue, becoming obsessed with weight and even not eating before matches to feel lighter. Sport adds that he studied (Physical Education teaching and a Nutrition degree, plus extra qualifications) and built a career on that expertise.

His big breakthrough came at Valencia. Sport recalls that in 2017 Ismael Fernández—then at the club—signed and offered him the nutrition job. They won the Copa del Rey, but Ondina says things ended badly after that: “then… they fired us”. He later spent a year at Olympique de Marseille with Igor Tudor before opening his private practice in Valencia.

What he’d do for the derby

Sport highlights that today Ondina works with clubs and international players and even mentions well-known figures like David Bisbal. The derby affects him personally too: he says he can’t be as close in person because his two eldest daughters live in Oviedo—Lucía supports Sporting, while Daniella is an Oviedo fan.

On match-week habits, Ondina tells Sport that derby days don’t require extra “motivation” talk, because players already notice the special atmosphere and the week brings extra caution. He warns about excitement: the main nutritional “problem” is handling stimulation, so he recommends avoiding stimulants like caffeine. His plan is built on good rest and properly timed carbohydrates the night before.

Sport also lists his day-of-game example routine: a breakfast with no very high fat or fibre content (e.g., toast with oil, tomato and fresh cheese plus fruit and yogurt); lunch using three types of carbs with different release speeds and lean protein (fish or chicken); an afternoon snack with fast carbs (toast with honey/jam or a banana). He adds a key message on hydration: start the week before, because even a 2% body-weight dehydration can cut physical performance by up to 20%, Sport quotes. For recovery, he argues that post-match eating should be strong in carbs and protein—sometimes using foods like pizza or burgers is acceptable if the ingredients are quality, as Sport concludes. For the scoreline, he predicts 1-1.