Thrissur: The Belgium team for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar will have a Keralite among their backroom staff. Vinay P Menon, who hails from Cherai in Ernakulam district, has been appointed as the wellness consultant of the Red Devils, who will be looking to improve on their third-place finish at Russia 2018. The 48-year-old Vinay is also the wellness consultant and mind strategist of English Premier League side Chelsea.
Before accepting the offer, Vinay had a meeting with Belgium's head coach Roberto Martinez in London last month. The Belgium squad for the World Cup will reach Kuwait on November 18 before heading to Doha. Vinay will stay with the team till the end of the quadrennial event.
It was in 2008 that Vinay moved to London and started working with the Blues as their wellness consultant and mind strategist. For the last 13 seasons, Vinay has been one of the key members of Chelsea's backroom staff who works in tandem with the head coach in ensuring that the players are at their peak going into each and every game.
Vinay's grandfather Sreedhara Menon is an acclaimed yoga guru. His wife Flomni is also a yoga instructor and wellness expert. The couple has a son, Abhay Menon. In the past, former Chelsea players like Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard, and John Terry had talked about their experience of working under Vinay and shared pictures from yoga training sessions through their social media accounts.
