One player was drinking every night.

But every morning, he walked into training with a smile on his face, and nobody had a clue that he was struggling.

That is football.

Players learn very quickly how to put on a mask. They tell everyone they’re fine, hide what they’re really feeling and carry on because they’re terrified that admitting they’re struggling will make them look weak.

In this episode, Luke O’Nien speaks honestly about the masks he wore throughout his career, losing his identity and reaching a point where he didn’t know who he was anymore.

We talk about:

• Why football becomes a player’s entire identity
• Why asking for help can feel like weakness
• The pressure to fit into a new dressing room
• Reading criticism and opinions on social media
• What happens when emotions are continually pushed down
• How Luke now uses emotions as information
• Why journaling changed his life
• The support network every professional player needs

After analysing 107 conversations with professional footballers, we found that 106 of them had suffered in silence or hidden what they were genuinely experiencing.

That should tell you everything.

Struggling doesn’t make you weak. Pretending you’re fine doesn’t make the struggle disappear.

The lone wolf starves. You are stronger in a pack.

If you’re a professional footballer and want support from people who understand what the game is really like, apply to join Elite XI:

https://www.elitexiapply.com