Claudio Pizarro ditches pizza, sweets to reach Bundesliga milestone

Berlin - Veteran forward Claudio Pizarro, 37, says ditching treats like chocolate and pizzas helped put him on the verge of becoming the first foreigner to reach the milestone of 400 Bundesliga games.

The evergreen Peru striker could reach the mark when strugglers Werder Bremen plays at Borussia Monchengladbach on Friday.

In a bid to extend his career, Pizarro started working last August with Italian nutritionist Giuliano Poser, who also advises Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

Foods such as sugar, pasta and white bread are now taboo, which has left former Chelsea and Bayern Munich forward Pizarro in top form despite his advancing years.

He scored both of his side's late goals last Saturday as Bremen came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at home to Hertha Berlin - and promptly rewarded himself with a rare taste of chocolate.

"I miss chocolate so much," he admitted, but says his new diet has given him more energy.

"I feel better and have lost two or three kilos."

His tally of 399 appearances and 181 goals is already a Bundesliga record for a foreigner and he hopes to reach the 400 mark at Gladbach's Borussia Park.

"Of course, this is very special for me. It's not something you experience every day," said Pizarro.

The Peruvian only has a contact with Bremen until the end of the season, but he has no plans to retire and his dream is to represent his country at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Bremen's sporting director Thomas Eichin plans to talk to Pizarro about a possible extension, but for now the priority is staying in Germany's top flight with Werder third from bottom and currently in the relegation zone.

For now potatoes, tomatoes and cow's milk are also off the menu as Pizarro looks to stay as fit as possible to help keep Bremen up.

"If I want to still play, that's how it has to be," he says.

Despite having been used mainly off the bench, as back-up for Nigeria striker Anthony Ujah, Pizarro has already scored five goals in 16 games this season and has helped develop his team-mates.

"I can still learn a lot from him," said Ujah.