Why football is good and bad for your head

[@M4NA5]

That Norwich City video on mental health really struck a chord. Football has the ability to let you forget your real life problems for 90 mins. but it can also hurt both fans and players equally if things don’t go your way quite often. Important thing to remember is that you’re not alone, and help is only a phone call away.

[@rullysetiawan7319]

Saw the video in Linkedin. The ending really caught me by surprise. I thought that guy made a new friend and things are looking up.

[@javiercordova2108]

Such an unexpected twist, but with a true message.

[@richardesponja693]

Right now, football is my only thing to escape from my absurd life. It gives me minutes to forget how downwards my life goes. But yes, at least it gives you minutes to forget everything around you

[@only1icon1801]

​@@richardesponja693I hope it gets better for you mate

[@albert.prawira]

seeing this video reminded me of Harry Maguire. how strong is this guy's mental and mind receiving a non stop abuse for a few years.

[@ScottFree-GB]

Southgate is letting him down, should have to him to go on loan. Didn't really need to in the end but realised now that he does. Southgate should have been brave and suggested that rather than Maguire figuring it out through depression

[@thehappyloaf]

Game's not gone lads😅

[@stuckupcurlyguy]

​@@ScottFree-GBI think you mean Ten Hag. Southgate does not dictate Man Utd's loan policy.

[@yoditan]

I think this is why Trent Alexander-Arnold started his initiative to help people who had been dropped by clubs or not made it to a certain level. There’s a really good video that he has on his channel. But also the way some fans act on social media and the press towards players is disgusting.

[@negritoojosclaros]

What initiative?

[@arabidmeerkat247]

​@@negritoojosclarosThe After Academy

[@negritoojosclaros]

@@arabidmeerkat247 didnt know about it! What a master is Trent!

[@michaelstacksonfourtwenty4398]

Specially messi fans. They make me sick.

[@stevetheiii477]

@@michaelstacksonfourtwenty4398 why Messi fans specifically lmao Ronaldo fans ain’t any better

[@12thMandalorian]

The recent Beckham documentary shows how fans and the media do NOT help, everything David suffered after the 1998 World Cup was disgusting

[@daddymonyet]

Nowadays it’s the African experts online.

[@Birdyflys-tt9gm]

It is disgusting what happened to him, even the guy who knocked him over (can’t remember his name) said that he didn’t deserve the red

[@cutecat1764]

​@@daddymonyetwhat African experts I'm lost?

[@somebody6039]

​@@Birdyflys-tt9gmcurrent Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone.

[@suracatacham5071]

@@Birdyflys-tt9gmit’s Diego Simeone

[@rafadacosta1675]

I would love a more in depth video about mental health in football. Our sport is so competitive and demanding, that we end up forgetting about players' mental health issues.

[@thehappyloaf]

"Game's gone soft"

[@ruudelst1973]

Honestly, I thought this video would be about the dangers of headers and brain damage but this hits even harder. Really impactful and educational video regarding very serious issues, bravo!

[@beatlemaniac]

R.I.P. Robert Enke Former Hannover 96 and Germany goalkeeper who tragically took his own life in November 2009, aged 32.

[@Too_m]

More people need to realize that mental health is as critical as physical health.. Depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are real illnesses that can affect your wellbeing just like the flu...

[@majesticfool]

i think everyone understands this.

[@mbitenas87]

@@majesticfool you're so wrong there. You're lucky if there's 50% who understands and, in reality, the number is lower than that.

[@Too_m]

@@majesticfool everyone = your discord friends😭

[@klif4755]

Oh bohoho

[@thejungwookim]

I remember using Calvert-Lewin in FIFA16 back when he was a bronze card in Northampton Town. He carried me through my first set of games and lead me to watching him at Everton, despite not being a Toffee. I felt awful for him during his series of injuries because there was a Premier League level player in there somewhere. I don't know if I'd still be watching football if I found out something awful had happened to him during his low point. I'm glad that he's gotten better, both on and off the pitch, and I'm glad that he isn't afraid to send out such a powerful message to other footballers.

[@TheRegicidic]

Great video. Really wish that mental health were taken more seriously within the game and in day-to-day life in general. It’s okay to not be okay, take care of yourselves.

[@abdullahibrahim1159]

I know how that feels , I made it to the first division in my country (Egypt) and played with national team U21 ,it was like a dream, I made a lot of money and built all my life around my professional career, suddenly everything changed when I got injured and couldn’t play football again, I went through bad mental health and panic attacks , now I am 29 and I am much better , it was a tough time.

[@itsezzo9734]

Oh man,what competitions did u play in?

[@abdullahibrahim1159]

@@itsezzo9734 I played in Egyptian league first division, our matches were shown on tv every week and somehow I became famous haha , but God knows what is better for me so I will be always grateful no matter what happens to me

[@Parthkushwaha]

Really well put together without being depressing, thanks for heading light on this topic in football.

[@Tomtainius]

Dammit Tifo. You’ve got me teary-eyed watching what I expected to be a video on headers 😂

[@W4ZEL]

I played football non-stop from age 6 to 13, I was passionate and in a local team that very much held their own in the local landscape, usually competing to win the local division which included the junior team of a Ligue 2 club. The matches themselves were truly thrilling and amazing, and I was pretty good on the pitch as well (for this level of play of course, nothing special), but I had to stop because of bullying, harrasment and various abuse from my own teammates. Football was my passion, and although I tried other team sports afterwards, I never had as much of a connection to them as I had with football. But I guess I was just too soft.

[@fd2444]

While you were probably better than me, I had a similar experience. Had a target on my back wherever I went

[@commentarytalk1446]

Are you French and talking about France: You use "LIGUE 2" and then use "HER" instead of "Held THEIR own" which is an English mistake. Is there a reason why your team-mates took against you? I've never been in a team that did not pull together and help each other out and found team-sports was one of the best group activities I ever experienced: Much better than the world of work in the office eg Ricky Gervais' The Office comparison.

[@W4ZEL]

@@commentarytalk1446 Yup sorry forgot how pronouns worked there for a second. My teammates were discriminating me because there had to be someone to make fun of in the team. I wasn't the most social kid off the pitch, I had long hair, I didn't respond to provocation. I was defender and of course I was immediately pointed out for being the reason we were losing matches when we were. I was the scapegoat. Work is toxic but in an entirely different way, and I'm built for it now. But what I faced as a 12 year old boy was way too much to handle. PS: I guess I need to say, I experienced pretty much the same things in school around those years. It was just greatly exacerbated by sports but I still got the same abuse from classmates after stopping football. But the less I faced the less bad I'd feel, and I couldn't stop school, so...

[@commentarytalk1446]

@@W4ZEL That's frankly S behaviour because we were always taught, if in the TEAM everyone supports everyone no matter what. If disagreement, you build consensus to solve the problem etc. If in the team everyone was selected. I think it is a bad culture and the coach/captain/hierarchy eg buddy-system was not working. Hope that gives you something to reflect on: It was not you but a system that was not set up by the people running it to work properly involving kids.

[@W4ZEL]

@@commentarytalk1446 Our coach had his son in the team, and he was way more involved in getting him the attention he deserved than anyone else. The only attention this guy gave me was some light teasing, and when I went to him and asked him if I could try playing another role than CB, he didn't really care much for it iirc. His son went on to actually play a few matches for Montpellier in Ligue 1 before being sold to Troyes in Ligue 2. His career never took off but he is a decent pro player, so I guess it was worth it for his dad.

[@animevsirl]

It is ok to criticise players, but there is a fine line between criticism and mocking the player. We live in an era where mocking a player would get more attention. There should definitely be more protection for players

[@ThatGuy-vi6cj]

I just bunked school and I was happy till I watched this video. Having your dream ripped out of your hands would crush anyone not just sports stars and athletes.

[@tommantek3632]

Reminds me of the Ted Lasso episodes dealing with Ted's mental health issues and even the team psychiatrist brought in to help members on the team. The reaction from the press and fans about Ted having a panic attack definitely bring to the forefront how poorly understood mental health is. It's a shame teams don't invest as heavily in this as much as they do with physical health.

that series is an absolute treasure

[@Hafris33]

I am first expect this video about pros and cons when heading a ball during the game and training. I was wrong entirely.😅

[@NaticzkaKaminskaHenryDolphin]

This is a very important video and the mental health of ordinary footballers and big football stars should be talked about more, with empathy. But watching/observing this whole problem for a long time now, I found out that empathy towards big star footballers, especially foreign ones in EPL, doesn't exist. The attitude of most fans and the media is, that because these star footballers are very rich, successful, have beautiful girlfriends, big houses, luxury cars, etc, they should just shut up and take the abuse without complaining. And more and more abuse is happening online, where absolutely vile stuff is said about or directly to these footballers. Sky Sports released a report last year by Ofcom, that showed the most abused football players on Twitter, for example, were Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire. And while Harry got the support of the English media, Ronaldo, of course, didn't. People in some of the comments here talk about the Beckham documentary now, and how it changed their perspective on how fans behaved towards him, yet do they remember, that Cristiano got it way worse than Beckham in England, first back in 2006 after the famous WC incident vs Rooney, and then recently, when his conflict with Ten Hag erupted, just after Cristiano lost his son. Back in 2006 Ronaldo was not only booed at every stadium in the UK, he was harassed, death threats were sent to his house, and even his little cousins who were in schools in the UK back then, were harassed and abused by the media and people. And did these fans reflect in the same manner, when it comes to Cristiano? I bet most of them don't. I noticed a long time ago that Cristiano especially doesn't get any empathy because people dramatically don't understand his complex personality, the media almost always twist his words, and it's easy since he mostly speaks broken English, and he is also attacked because he tells brutal truth without sugarcoating it, and somehow people always prefer comforting lies to the hard truths. Ronaldo also always wears a mask in public, like a lot of very famous celebs, in order to protect himself from the public and the media - the hurtful gossip and attacks, so he is not really himself in public at all, yet most of the public seems to, again, not understand it.

[@acham182]

Always said this about Cristiano, he has really thick skin so he takes a lot of the fire and only God knows how much abuse he has had to endure to be able to have such resistance to it. I just wish things were different but it’s just a big topic in general, a lot of people are very terrible people in general and social media platforms as well as football media needs to do more to protect these players

[@magicmagic8188]

From the thumbnail I thought this would be about CTE, but this is also an important topic. Even though these players earn wages most of us can only dream of, they’re still human beings with human emotions. I think that as males we’re conditioned from a young age to socialize through competition. And while that can build confidence and determination it can also break people down, especially if there is perceived weakness. A lot of times “tough love” is all tough and no love. Luckily, it seems we’re (slowly) moving towards a culture where we can be more vulnerable without punishment.

[@luckyjustlucky6809]

1:43 as a Spurs fan, this is the first time hearing about this. May his soul rest in peace

[@gehanoates885]

Now if i was a footballer I would be forever grateful. Football is competitive I never made it. I feel for the guys that never made it. They are thrown away like they are nothing. The FA has millions but they don't help the players who get thrown away.

[@royeltea]

Yep, there are millions of kids who get signed by academis who promise them they will play and say theyre the next big thing, only to then release them like theyre nothing, often even doing it at latter ages like 17 or 18 so its hard to find a replacement. And theres so many instances of these players getting depression or even killing themselves, HITC made a video talking about it, its sad really, how academies are a double edged sword, but football has become a bussiness now.

[@gehanoates885]

@@royeltea You're right foottball is now a business. I still believe that football can come first, the players. Then you have football as a business.

[@treacheroustiger5571]

Pressure makes diamonds, it also causes mental issues. It's not just footballers but men in general who struggle with mental health. Men who can't meet societies standards are considered disposal.

[@paweborkowski6959]

Hope this video helps staunch Neymar critics realise that the player (and mamy others) didn't waste their potential. They showed us what they wanted while also enjoying life, even if the viewers wished the players excelled further in their craft.

[@daveoaktowers]

For those watching this or those who saw the excellent Norwich video about mental health the most important thing you can do for a friend, partner, colleague or family is listen. Let them tell you what they're feeling and going through. Dont interject or compare. Always ask your friends 'are you alright' twice too, first to check and the second should be a more sincere 'are you really alright'. As you never know what someone is going through.

[@sackiteyderrick]

These are staggering stats. Love and light to these players and their families

[@lenardbaum6378]

The most famous examples in germany for this are Sebastian Deisler & Robert Enke. Really recommend the book from ronald reng about enke, a realistic and therefore brutal depiction of a footballers life with depression

[@nathanhosea489]

Deisler was the next Ballack and had the potential to be even better. It's a huge shame no one ever came to his help

[@aakarmamtora3470]

Good point about the punishment and humiliation being celebrated as a character building. Sure players being punished and facing consequences for mistakes should be a thing 100%. But when a team doesn't do well and those who at every opportunity wish for the team be punished or humiliated just so their personal anger is satisfied is a toxic trait. Whether it be fans, coaches or pundits

[@acham182]

Extremely toxic

[@ScottFree-GB]

Football allowed racism for far too long that some people think that different types of abuse is acceptable. It's the " John Barnes went through worse" mentality

[@gregorkalinkat7657]

Everybody should read 'A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke' by Ronald Reng. Maybe the best football book ever written

[@colejewell]

Fantastic video. Keep it up, bringing light to a big issue that isn’t comfortable to admit to in a competitive setting.

[@FullMetalFishFarmer]

Great video, clubs should take their duty of care much more seriously. We ensure that "parachute payments" are given to clubs that go down, clubs should have to offer continued emotional and life skills support for players they let go and do a better job in that transition phase.

[@lwandomadikizela2213]

We sometimes forget players are just human like everyone else. Mental health is a very serious issue when it affects everyone from the poor to the elites. That's why when I critique, I don't attack the players personally at all. Yes, players can be criticized but we have to remember the players aren't machines and they feel anxiety like us.

[@JoshClare]

Really great video on an important subject - thank you for making it and spreading awareness. Just a little note, it’s often best practice to say “died by….” not “commit/committed” as the later links something to crime or sin. There’s some good guidelines out there for media organisations on the best language to use

[@GTK-1]

I cry at this video. People always expect you are ok and if you’re not then you’re a problem. I will listen to anyone that needs help but who will listen to me. It’s hard.

[@AitorDM]

Muy buen video Tifo, hoy te superaste! Sigan con el bien trabajo

[@el_equidistante]

And after a couple hours everyone in the comments will go back to sharing Harry Maguire memes

[@FayeesAdam]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@GodMcQueen]

*I thought this would be about the long term affects of heading the ball.* *Still, really insightful video.*

[@frankunodostres473]

I can confirm watching the last world cup final made me more depressed than every single death in my family combined. it took me a while to detach myself from the sport enough to regain my will to live

[@Username-mn7pc]

Are you french??

[@flop1272]

💀💀💀💀💀

[@acham182]

I’m glad you began detaching yourself from the sport, all the best brother ❤️

[@stevetheiii477]

@@Username-mn7pc he must be a ronaldo fan

[@nonamejr8940]

It’s not a football problem, it’s a social media problem. And it’s not just football. Social media is a massive massive problem.

[@killercaos123]

Football is capable of making you feel like you’re at the highest of highs, but equally, the lowest of lows. It has that impact on people mentally and emotionally

[@GJ-dv8uq]

i once played against a club thats fully made up of former academy players, mostly from united and city. we got to have dinner with them afterwards and some of them spoke about how hard it was and many considered quitting the game completely. thanks for shedding some light on this issue!

[@Potatinized]

This isn't just football. if you're working in a competitive industry, just change the word "football" in this video to your industry name and it makes perfect sense, still.

[@billyosazuwa]

man, i love the visual graphics in these videos

[@leobestbote4244]

Im guessing the Sancho and Manchester United/Ten Hag standoff inspired this one

[@marcusreed9621]

Thank you, not many know of the mental termoil players go through

[@eddiefordjour3455]

Rip God bless 1:46

[@TermsDecoded]

Social media has made football extremely toxic. Football twitter is a mess. 😢

[@Ese96Agboaye]

I thought this was going to be about heading the ball, but this is a fascinating piece.

[@Jaffer_cake]

Great vid! Also, consider the fact that majority of these players have known football since childhood. That’s their identity, they grow up with so much pressure, and perhaps trauma down the line.

[@lizwa6463]

When your team wins on the weekend it’s partly is a great week however if your team loses god help you it’s a terrible week 😭😭

[@DJMorley18]

I’m a psychotherapist and would love to work with athletes for this very reason. Its a difficult world to get into and there is still a lot of resistance to allow someone to come in and help with mental health, but it is very needed.

[@IntentionalFootball]

This video hits home. Everywhere I went as a young player, I never understood why coaches could be so ruthless. Now, as a coach myself, I've seen others fall victim to the cultural pressures that lead to a coach being scared to have an honest conversation supporting one of their struggling players. It's easier to label them as "not cut out for it" and let them go, rather than empathise and support them through their struggle. What they don't realise is that by doing that for a player, especially if they're a youth player who feels that they're drowning, they've formed an unbreakable connection with that player for daring to trust and aid them through their problems. And suddenly, the team begins to show fortitude and persistence. Qualities often forgotten about in the modern professional game due to the influence of money.

[@epicboi46]

Just goes to show how important it is to monitor mental health, especially in the case of football 💔

[@benjamindavidscargill5633]

RIP Gary Speed.

[@reaganbusobozi5948]

Great video as always. Down here in Uganda we have seen Young men take their lives over the European teams they support so definitely a video on how football affects us the fans would really be nice

[@weirdal9500]

That DCL quote is gold. New favorite player easy

[@glenntaylor9144]

Well done again Tifo. Top draw video, perfectly timed.

[@toasterfuel]

The road of football is a tough one indeed.

[@joshgorodecky9630]

Great video! Exposing these kind of problems helps break the stigma of mental health for all. Keep up the fantastic work

[@thztan7492]

In Liverpool Trent do The After Academy Program that will seek,check & try to help academy players that being released by the club by try giving help/conncection for other jobs&education outside football. It seems FA also collaborate with his program as well

[@williamlekstakaj5892]

This is very interesting, and as a man, I know it's not the easiest to talk but it's the only way to fix our problems. So if anyone anywhere is not doing alright at the moment talk.

[@Steve-390]

Part of the problem is people don't know who they are outside the game, u need to provide people with opinions outside football n how to deal with injuries n the mental effects it has. Its a very competitive environment its not easy

[@bguerra4]

How do mental health affliction rates in footballers compare to the population at large? The population at large are not regularly checked by club psychologists and would have less opportunity for diagnosis…so it should be higher amongst footballers for that reason.

[@owl-arm7545]

Wish that literally every single football fan could watch this and appreciate the message. Football is a game to be enjoyed by players and fans alike. It shouldn't be a mechanism for bullying and abuse! And can everyone please take heed of this video and cut Maguire some slack. With only 10% of academy players making 20+ appearances in the football league, I think he's had a pretty stellar career by all accounts!

[@izzojunior]

Roy Keane's thoughts on this would be priceless…

[@sebikan_og]

This is a really good video, sometimes we forget that footballers are just people like us to with they’re own challenges and problems.

[@huicho50able]

I've no doubt some big players in current football are struggling but we will never know

[@nbayern7000]

Had to stop football because of deep depression. The pro game is brutal and not what it's made out to be. Feel much happier playing for the joy without external pressure.

[@jackbrownio3]

Some brilliant illustrations in this one

[@tahmidun_nahar]

as a netizen i see this as a win win xd cuz we are the ones depressed all the time so it must not be new for us, who happen to play football as well, if not professionally seriously tho, we do need to have this topic talked more often

[@jasenick9931]

While the US has a huge problem with CTE in the NFL Europe has a similar but not as serious issue with CTE in soccer as head hits are pretty common, this is what causes the development of the vicous proteins that cause CTE and can have early symptoms that are similar to mental health issues or dimensia

[@joevergreen]

I thought this video would be about physical trauma inflicted to our brains due to headers. A video on that would be interesting

[@braziliantalent]

mental health needs to be more discussed in football

[@hectoreduardofuentealbapel7830]

Just some data ago Beka Beka thought on End it all... Karius was destroyed (His fame and His mind) for a bad manager call. Humans can fail

[@crysis1234567]

thought this was going to be about how heading the ball can cause brain damage...

[@Veskar01]

Missing a goal and then proceeding to be hated by your OWN TEAMS FANS definitely will affect someones mental health.

[@lorenzomartinez8543]

Good video. But tbh I thought this video has going to be about CTE/head injuries.

[@Aerostarm]

Yeah me too

[@cappeb]

Idk why but I thought that this was going to be about concussions but an important matter nonetheless

[@rushja]

I thought this video was going to be lighter, but I appreciate the article. Only 10% make it, that's amazing when you think how many clubs there are? Clubs should be held to account for these players really, it wouldn't take much to help them transition from football.

[@jezusmylord]

thats because of the stupid fans that harass players off and online, it makes me so mad when i see comments like that.

[@rinzo2009]

"You will never know where my shoes pinch until you wear it". Sadly, a great deal of football fanatics don't pay attention to this when roasting a player that, let's say, missed a vital penalty that would have given the team a trophy. Words are like toothpaste. You can squeeze them out of the tube, but you can never put it back in. That's my two cents on the matter.

[@living_craft]

Bojan😢😢😢

[@Garr-pj8jt]

Krkic

[@avinpunamia9125]

I mean mental health is a problem but treatment for it is very expensive so it elongates the problem of mental health further

[@audrinemukisa16]

Woow ,this is so helpful thanks tifo

[@michaelappiah3938]

The voice of the narrator is so soothing

[@thztan7492]

Great video for important topic 👍

[@chaupiamarighambi5859]

But but but but, they earn 100,000 pounds a week therefore they just need to soldier on

[@gakwandifistonmusic]

Thank you Tifo

[@KumarSanket11]

lovely video, I hope we can all do our individual bit as "supporters" of the beautiful game

[@betshodinonyane9467]

In 2009 Mental health In football finally took serious after Robert Enke the German goalkeeper took he's own life 😢 Even us fans we deal with Mental health issues when our respective club are not performing and rival fans will laugh at us . RIP Claude from aftv who loved arsenal than he's wife 🙏

[@geordiedog1749]

A big machine, a sausage factory with no regard for the children it devours.

[@richardgotherstrom7974]

The most important video this far.

[@ozzymandias90]

Football or not, facing your weakness is the mark of true strength. Ignore anyone who would call you weak for how you feel inside, reach out to those who would listen without judgment. Pool the required resources you'll need for this battle. You are not broken. You just need to understand your mind and feelings better. Just like a knife isn't broken when it cuts its owner. The owner just needs to better understand their tool and practice better safety policies. So, too, this is true with our minds and feelings. Stop bullying people with machismo, we don't need it, and if you practice this, we don't need you!

[@alkane7876]

Top bins from Calvert Lewin with that quote

[@asimsapkota1626]

make one for football fans too

[@shaqtaku]

watching football and engaging in endless discussions about it is definitely not good for your head

[@LaureusSport]

Such an important topic 👍

[@danielstacey4116]

Im genuinely intrigued why an improving aproach to MH is in fact seeing *more* suicides these days? Why is suicide seen as a way out more often in the 21st century? What causes that? Or were there just as many in the old days but they went unreported?

[@comic_food_guy]

Football is a respite for the common man, given to appease us by our wealthy masters. Unfortunately, the harms we suffer are past onto the players creating a toxic culture

[@lsr3794]

No offence, but many, many men in general face these issues in just trying to support their families and earn a good living.