Why Arsenal’s fashion-forward right-back eats clean, loves streetwear – and still has a soft spot for Barcelona.

On the eve of our interview with Arsenal right-back Mr Héctor Bellerín, Channel 5 aired a documentary charting the famous feud between his manager Mr Arsène Wenger – who recently announced his departure from the club – and ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. It serves as a reminder that, from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s, the pair oversaw some of the most explosive games in the Premier League. Things have changed since then, of course. Big money has blunted the rivalry, Arsenal are not the force they once were, and managers are not afforded anything like the two decades Mr Wenger, who signed Mr Bellerín as a 16-year-old tyro from Barcelona FC, has experienced at the helm. But even in the new, fickle, fast-paced game that has ushered his manager out, the Spanish defender, now 23, is, in many respects, something of a mould breaker.

He’s a vegan, for starters, which is unexpected in his line of work. He hasn’t eaten meat or dairy all season and, he says, he has never felt better. “When it comes to nutritional literature, everyone is very old-school,” he says as he sits on a couch in an east London studio, two days before the first of two semi-final Europa League matches with Atlético Madrid that will make or break Arsenal’s season (break, as it turns out – it will be Atlético facing Marseilles in next week’s final). “‘You need milk, eggs, meat.’ But actually, you are able to get the same amount of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins from plants.” He lauds its positive effect on the environment, and says his recovery time after games has vastly improved. “I used to be that guy who snoozed [ through ] the alarm 20 times. Then all of a sudden I was waking up with the sun at 7.00am.” And that’s not all. “I’ve also introduced yoga and meditation,” he says.