Psychology in soccer

“A lot of people say that football has nothing to do with life. I don’t know how much they know about life, but they don’t know anything about football.” That’s how Argentinean winger Angel Di Maria ended a reflexive social media post that echoed beyond his followers. His message was accurate; we see a footballer like Di Maria as a god-gifted athlete, but forget about every single event that brought him into the elite of the sport.

Di Maria referred to the many occasions that he played sick, or when he ran through the street blocks of Argentina to be on time for practice because he didn’t catch the bus. “What do they know?” Di Maria asked while he ripped off the superhero cape and shared an intimate moment on Instagram.

There is an immense social and economic impact in football. The dimension of the sport is so strong that sometimes it’s used as a geopolitical weapon. However, behind all that power, there’s a vulnerable aspect that sometimes we forget. Behind a jersey and a pair of soccer boots, there is a person with similar traits to any other human.

Football represents more than a tactical drawing or dead-ball situations. It’s a sport fueled by mental behavior; a player acts according to his or her emotions. Consequently, soccer is psychology.

The beginning of sports psychology dates back to the first period of the 20th century, and it obtained an international formality in 1965. Its involvement in soccer is fundamental. A study published by the Journal of Sports Behavior demonstrated that the application of psychological skills during a match improved the performance of midfielders in their passing, first touch and tackling.

Psychology in soccer evolved from inspiring speeches and therapy into analyzing the impact of the media, audiences and injury rehabilitation.

According to former Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) coordinator of management of sports activities Martha Heredia, there are multiple psycho-social dimensions to address to help a soccer team. In her article “Sports psychology and football,” Heredia enlisted diverse aspects such as “leadership, group connection, effects of the audience in away games, effects of the mass media, self-esteem and athletic performance, physical rehabilitation, motivating tactics, and retirement preparation.” Altogether, those factors represent the exemplification of the individual and group psychological scope in football.

The methodological classification of sports psychology illustrates that soccer grants its athletes crucial aspects as life skills. Qualities like tactical thought, distribution of attention, psycho-motor coordination, group empathy, and emotional and anxiety control contribute to the evolution of soccer players outside the pitch.

Nevertheless, there are more traits that players develop when they’re not disputing games or training. The adaptation of foreign players to the habits of a new country represents a massively important role in the career of a footballer.

In December 2016, Argentinean forward Carlos Tevez signed for Shanghai Shenhua. The Chinese club offered Tevez $40 million per year, becoming the highest-paid football player ever. However, Andy Strong, a Chinese football expert and sports manager of the digital communication agency Mailman, called out the Argentinean striker. Strong was disappointed by “the attitude showed by Tevez,” as he told the international news organization Agencia EFE.

Strong compared Tevez with Brazilian striker Hulk, who “demonstrated much more effort, enthusiasm and preoccupation for the team and the game in China.” Tevez was involved in mysterious injuries, overweight and criticized for his eating habits. There was a lack of adaptation to a new way of living and work atmosphere. Tevez wasn’t able to complete a two-year contract, even when he took 19 family members to China so he could adjust to his new adventure, as Agencia EFE reported.

In an interview with psychologist and former professional player Diego Medina, he described that having a deep attachment to the homeland culture could not be beneficial for the player. This could trigger a lack of positive atmosphere in the abroad adventure, and create an essential need to seek psychological or coaching help for the new player as a development channel with an unknown atmosphere.

“Sometimes footballers miss the local cuisine, candy, places and even activities that they didn’t do at all back home,” Medina stated. “Footballers need a voluntary openness with themselves; they need to have the curiosity to interact with new elements. A person who ignores those traits can negatively affect their performance.”

For example, Tevez never clicked with the language, gastronomy and way of living. After his travesty with Juventus, he wanted to return to Argentina and signed a contract with Boca Juniors. But the offer made by Shanghai Shenhua was a lifetime opportunity.

Football is the universal language, and players need an outside interaction. According to Medina, a soccer player experiencing a new way of life will need professional help for solving interrogations with new habits. However, the intimacy between teammates is also a crucial factor in finding joy outside the locker room.

“The existence of mini-communities inside a football team is vital for new players,” Medina explained. “I’m a Liverpool fan, and through social media, you can see that the Brazilians hangout with the Spanish players. Both nationalities share the same root of language; therefore, the way of thinking is more parallel. If a new Brazilian player arrives at the club, there will be a community that will help them to adapt and create a friendship link.”

Medina assures that an intimate link between players that share the same language or common roots pays off in the performance of the team. The connection that Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva, Fernandinho, Sergio Agüero and David Silva showed last season with Manchester City goes beyond training. There is chemistry outside the job. As a result, the interaction during a game is stronger.  

Nevertheless, when the situation doesn’t go as expected, the sentiment of isolation can knock the door. Footballers are assets and they are signed to get results. They are the daily conversation topic and targets of hard criticism. Top clubs demand immediate adjustment and communion with their ways. Fans could also make the stay uncomfortable. And discomfort generates lower efficiency.

“Look at Coutinho when he played in Liverpool,” Medina commented. “The fans rallied around him, and he displayed incredible football. Then he arrives at a rigorous club with a tough crowd like Barcelona. His performance decreased and the fans created a negative impact every time that Coutinho jumped into the field. You won’t like to interact with people that live in a place where there is no comfort for you.”

Coutinho belongs among the game’s elite players, but as Medina described, even when there’s the will to succeed, “failed consciousness actions” caused by hard criticism or lower execution on the pitch can lead to failure.

Oppositely, a fast adaptation brings joy and momentum to the player. The team benefits from someone who quickly understands their forms, like Portuguese offensive midfielder Joao Felix. The 19-year-old is generating euphoria in his first season with Atletico Madrid. In three official games, Felix has an assist and a goal with the club; consequently, Atletico is the leader of La Liga and the media bows to the Portuguese player.

Based on the study of Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung, a person acts the way he or she acts because of their family origins. Those actions can make a footballer more enjoyable around people; therefore, that could generate the acceptance from a group already formed, or it could turn into isolation in a case where those traits are opposite to the group’s behavior. For example, Antoine Griezmann expressed a public love Uruguayan culture and enjoys consuming the national drink, “Mate.” As a result, South American players have a positive affinity for Griezmann and his ways.

Whereas a person might experience a favorable scenario, everything can change depending on the individual and the circumstances. Argentinean sports psychologist Marcelo Roffe published a list of fears that soccer players commonly mention in psychological tests. 

In the ninth chapter of his book “Psicologia del jugador de futbol: con la cabeza hecha pelotas,” Roffee enlisted the 30 actions that footballers dread. The conventional groups of fears mentioned were losing/failure, risking, rejection, internal and external competition, getting injured, communicating with the manager, wrongdoing, punishment, success and fear of the future/trying something new.

As simple as they are, those are the most vulnerable psychological threats of someone who is seen as a hero. The journey of a soccer player begins at a very young age and it is a short travesty that endures pain and mixed emotions. They are susceptible to unexpected changes, and could be far away from their natal country, family and friends for years while they accomplish their job. As things can go fantastic, they can quickly turn south.

Football is one of the most challenging careers; it requires an arduous physical and mental capacity to stay in the game. But it also needs human interactions, management of frustration and an obligation to adjust. As Roffe once said, “Football begins in the head and ends in the feet.”

Di Maria was right when he stated that we do not know shit about soccer.

Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.