sport news Ex-Manchester United winger Jesper Blomqvist on Roy Keane and his cooking career trends now
Jesper Blomqvist once felt the glare of Roy Keane's 'wild eyes' in Manchester United's Treble-winning team - but now the Swede is right at home in the heat of the kitchen.
The former winger, who started United's 1999 Champions League final, owns a pizza restaurant in Stockholm and recently won the Swedish edition of Celebrity Masterchef.
But it was his time spent playing in Italy for AC Milan and Parma that sparked a passion for good food that Blomqvist has turned into a successful second career.
Former Manchester United player Jesper Blomqvist has spoken about his love of cooking after winning Celebrity Masterchef in his native Sweden
The winger was part of the Manchester United team that won the Treble in the 1998-99 season
'It was a love that began in Italy, first in Milan and then in Parma,' Blomqvist told Gazzetta dello Sport.
'I remember the first dinner with [Adriano] Galliani and [Ariedo] Braida at 'L'Assassino' [a restaurant in Milan]. They didn't even look at the menu. They said, 'I get a salad', 'I get a cutlet'. I was impressed.
'The flavours were unique. And I also cultivated this passion in Parma, with [Carlo] Ancelotti as coach. He often took us out to dinner and joked with us.
'There I learned to love ham, Parmesan, homemade pasta - simple products. Not that I looked forward to the Friday or Saturday before the match.'
Blomqvist pictured next to his pizza oven at his restaurant 450 Gradi in Stockholm
That affection for Italian cuisine explains why Blomqvist and two other business partners opened 450 Gradi, a pizzeria in the Lidingo area of the Swedish capital.
450 degrees is regarded by Neapolitans as the optimal temperature at which to cook pizzas.
Blomqvist, who is also studying to become a sommelier, leaned on his love of Italian food during the intense competition of Masterchef VIP.
Blomqvist is also training to be a sommelier
His menu in the final, where he beat florist and TV host Karl Fredrik Gustafsson, was 'vol-au-vent with mushrooms as an appetiser, then handmade baked lasagne, an accompanying salad and the final touch, a tiramisu with biscuits made by me.'
On the show, where he was one of eight contestants, Blomqvist added: 'It was a wonderful journey in which I often cooked Italian dishes: Milanese risotto, cutlet. Products I learned to appreciate in my two years with you [playing in Italy]. By now cooking is my world, I am really proud.
'It took me more than a year to
