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Fabio Tavares

Mental Health in Football

Updated: Oct 9




By: Fabio Tavares


There is plenty of evidence that sports and mental health are directly linked to each other, especially in professional sports. Not only does being physically active improve your physical and cardiovascular health, but it also improves your mental health by improving your mood, decreasing chances of depression, anxiety and helps lead a healthier and more balanced lifestyle, and in professional it is no different.


Football is widely renowned as a beautiful game. It is the most played and the most viewed sport in the world. The intensity, the excitement, the adrenaline, the emotion it brings – it’s like no other. Watching football, for many, has become a religion, a way to get away from problems, and for 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon, nothing matters but what is going on, on that football pitch.


It is well documented that football can be a very physically demanding sport, but what most people don’t know, it’s that it’s just as demanding mentally as it is physically. What many people don’t know, is that those players on the pitch, the players that so many idolize and pay their hard-earned money to watch, have to endure an enormous amount of pressure to produce and bring in immediate results. There’s no such thing as patience in football. Just like the fans, owners want immediate success, and they will keep changing until they find a winning formula, even if it’s a cost for families and human beings. There’s always a question of “Will I get subbed off?” or “Will I be dropped if I don’t play well?” or “What happens if I get injured?”.


Every day, these athletes are scrutinized by the media, fans, peers, and even by their own employers. Professional sport is a ruthless environment, and if you are not mentally prepared to face that ruthlessness and the challenges that come with the profession, you will fail. There is a lot of rejection and ups and downs that footballers have to deal with that are not documented, and it has led to some fatal cases.






Rejection


Football is a game of opinions. One coach might not value you as a footballer, but you might go somewhere else and another coach uses and values your skillset.


It is very hard for a footballer to be told he’s not good enough to play. Confidence is a huge part of a footballer’s success, and just like anything in life, it’s very hard to perform at your best without confidence and when you have self-doubt and no confidence, it is very hard to get out of that slump as you have no confidence when you get on the pitch and when you don’t play well or don’t get enough game time, it can lead to depression, anxiety, and sleep deprivation because all the work you’re putting in seems to not be working and you start doubting yourself of whether you should still be playing football or not. It takes extreme mental health to be able to play football, you need a very short memory. You lose the ball, you’re told you’re not good enough, you miss a shot. You can’t let it affect you and you have to go again, but certain individuals have been so battered mentally that they can’t get past that hurdle and their overall mental health takes a major toll because they can’t produce on the pitch and do what they love.




Being Sold or Released


90% of players who become full-time scholars aged 16, will be released or completely give up football by the time they turn 21. Being released from your football team is quite possibly the worst feeling you can go through as an aspiring professional footballer. You’ve worked your whole life to get to this point and then it just feels like a coach comes and stabs you in the back and shatters your whole dream. There has been a lot of discussions around what professional clubs are doing for young players post-release, as it is such a devastating blow. Recently, a young aspiring footballer named Jeremy Wisten committed suicide following his release from the Manchester City academy. Jeremy Wisten, 18, was found hanged in his room at his family home in Manchester on 24th October 2020.



A former Fulham academy player also spoke on this issue. Noble claims he was a victim of racism, bullying, and threatening behavior while at the club and when he was let go by the club, he had suicidal thoughts and suffered severe depression and anxiety that he still deals with to this day with no help from the club. Noble also went to say he knows of 150+ players who have been through similar mental health problems.






The reality of Professional Football


For the casual fan, they only see the elite of the elite. The 1% of players that make it. The Ronaldo’s, the Messi’s, the Neymar’s. The top of the crop. The players that have all the leverage and have made millions playing the sport they love for years and years, winning countless trophies and getting all the acclaim, but they don’t see the lower-level professionals. Those who just about make a living wage. Those who every year have to look for a new team and move countries every year in order to find the best deal to be able to feed their family. Imagine having to move yourself and your family from country to country every year for 10 years? It sounds mentally drowning, doesn’t it? That’s what the majority of professional footballers have to do in order to pursue their dream career and just about earning a living wage earning around £1000-£1500 a month. The pressure of the unknown, not knowing whether they’ll be playing next year or not can be terrifying. Sometimes these clubs can’t afford to pay all their players on time, so sometimes, some of these players go months without getting paid, and they’re still asked to go out there and produce for their team. The pressure is huge considering these players are not even guaranteed to be paid.



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Notable Footballers Who Committed Suicide



Robert Enke (1977-2009)


Robert Enke, one of the best German goalkeepers of his time, played some European giants like Benfica and Barcelona, took his own life on 10th November 2009 by standing in front of a train at a level crossing. His wife later revealed that her husband had been suffering from depression since the passing away of their daughter in 2006.




Gary Speed (1969-2011)


Gary Speed is widely renowned as one of the greatest Welsh players to ever play. He played for Leeds United, where he won a first division title, and many other big English clubs like Everton and Newcastle United. He held the record for the most appearances in Premier League history until David James broke the record. Currently, only David James and fellow Welshman and Premier League great, Ryan Giggs have made more appearances.



Gary Speed was found hanging in his own garage, less than 24 hours after he had appeared as a guest on BBC’s Football Focus. Following the match, Speed drove home at 5 pm, and in the following morning, just before 7 am, he was founded hanging by his wife Louise Speed.

“Everyone asks why he did it, but I have no answers,” said Speed. “He was his normal self, there was no hint of what would happen.” However, she, later on, revealed she had found a letter from her late husband to his own mother, from when he was 17-years old. He is quoted saying: “I’m so depressed. I’m just going to go sleep now and hope I never wake up.”



Football is the greatest sport in the world, with the greatest athletes in the world. But mental health is a topic that needs to be widely spoken about more often than it is. The stress, the anxiety, the hate messages, the racism, the scrutiny. Governing bodies need to do more to help these footballers before another family loses own of their own.




Fabio Tavares

Ph.D. in Sports coaching

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1 Comment


Maria Furtado
Maria Furtado
Mar 02, 2021

Thanks, Fabio Tavares for this great article, I was not aware of how Mental health was experienced in Football, which makes me look to these professionals with respect and more admiration, and for you too.

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