With a new manager in charge, Real Madrid returned to winning ways on Wednesday with a comprehensive but largely expected 4-0 victory over third-tier minnows Melilla in the Copa del Rey.
As well as getting Santi Solari’s interim reign off to a flying start, the night was extra special for Real forward Lucas Vazquez, whose wife Macarena happens to be a native of Melilla — a small Spanish enclave on the north coast of Africa which shares a border with Morocco.
Indeed, Vazquez is so entrenched in local culture that he even has a pizza named after him at the local pizzeria in the centre of town.
According to Marca, the Vazquez pizza was designed by the player himself after he was invited to do so by the owner of Anthony’s Pizzeria — a restaurant he, his wife and his wife’s family frequent often.
The toppings include chicken, tuna, pepperoni and fried onion, which sounds questionable but — we are assured — is a delicious combination.
La curiosa historia de la ‘Lucas Vázquez’, la pizza más famosa de Melilla… diseñada por el propio madridista https://t.co/YsbgjYgkN0
— MARCA (@marca) 31 October 2018
As part of a menu that numbers some 300 variations, Anthony has also paid edible tribute to several other Real Madrid stars past and present.
There’s a “Sergio Ramos” pizza (pepperoni, hard boiled egg and black olive), a “Cristiano Ronaldo” (minced meat, boiled egg, olives) and a “Jose Mourinho” which is one of the most expensive pizzas on the menu — perhaps in keeping with the Manchester United manager’s heavy use of the club cheque book.
This isn’t the first time Ronaldo has received a food-based homage, with the Juventus star having a “CR7” ice cream cup launched in his honour by a gelato shop in the village of Vinovo, just outside Turin, where the club’s training complex is based.
Much like Vazquez, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly had a pizza named in his honour by a restaurant in Naples — a curious dish topped with olive paste, walnuts, parmesan and buffalo mozzarella.
La locura en Nápoles sobrepasa los límites. Han creado la ‘Pizza Koulibaly’ cubierta con pasta de aceitunas negras, nueces rotas, parmesano y, por supuesto, Mozzarella di Bufala. 🍕
Esto solo pasa en Nápoles. 💙 pic.twitter.com/HrUTRTplz8
— Lord (@Lordcruyff) 25 April 2018
You know you’ve made it in New York when they name a sandwich after you, and that’s the very honour that one Manhattan deli bestowed upon Andrea Pirlo when the Italian veteran signed for New York City FC back in 2015.
For the record, the Pirlo sandwich was a mix of classic Mediterranean ingredients — salami, fried zucchini, mozzarella and pickled blueberries. Yum.
New York City Star Andrea Pirlo Has (Misspelled) Sandwich Created In His Honour http://t.co/K6QFrfZBFD via @waatpies pic.twitter.com/jpMXvK6Srd
— Who Ate All The Pies (@waatpies) 19 August 2015
Shortly before Pep Guardiola took charge at Bayern Munich, McDonald’s in Germany decided to welcome the ex-Barcelona coach by launching “The Hot Pep Guardinator”.
The sandwich went on sale in Munich branches of the fast food restaurant and consisted of a chicken schnitzel burger slapped in a brown roll with cheese, jalapeno, spicy mustard and salsa.
Reported that Guardiola has his very own burger… German McDonalds to introduce the HoTPepGuardinator? #FCBayern pic.twitter.com/WnScjLAzda
— Deutscher Fußball (@BundesligaSoul) 30 June 2013
Speaking of fast food, Andre-Pierre Gignac was apparently unhappy to the point of legal action when Burger King launched an advert for their Whopper burgers that included the then-Marseille striker’s name.
The slogan was a reference to a chant sung by the visiting fans (“a Big Mac for Gignac”) to poke fun at the French international’s stocky build.
Andre-Pierre Gignac is apparently suing Burger King over this: pic.twitter.com/BS3gpxd79Q
— Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) 21 April 2014
ESPN FC’s Spain correspondent Adriana Garcia contributed to this report