1) Jude Bellingham (Midfielder, Real Madrid, 20)
- La Liga and Champions League Champion (2024)
- UEFA Champions League Young Player of the Season (2024)
- Laureus World Sports Breakthrough of the Year (2024)
- 19 Goals + 25 involvements for Real Madrid in La Liga (2024)
What do Bellingham and Seek Self have in common? They both come from The Midlands! For this reason, we had to put him first. Jude has been dominating in his first season at Real Madrid, winning La Liga and the Champions League, with every pundit around complimenting his mentality and maturity, which he attributes to focusing on his own environment, connecting with his family and teammates, and ignoring the noise and negativity that surrounds the game. 2) Phil Foden (Forward, Manchester City, 24)
- 6x Premier League Champion
- Treble winner (2023)
- Winner of every possible trophy at club level.
- EA SPORTS Player of the Season (2024)
Man City born and bred, Foden has won every trophy there is to win in a Premier League team — if only he would bring the same winning streak to the England squad! Balancing his busy schedule of club and international duties, along with his duties as a father, can take quite a physical and mental toll. On that topic, he shares some sage advice: “When it comes to mental health, I’ve learnt that talking about difficult stuff or problems, issues, makes me personally always feel released afterwards. I feel lighter.”3) Bukayo Saka (Forward, Arsenal, 22)
- 15 goals + 10 assists Premier League assists (2023)
- PFA men’s Young Player of the Year (2023)
- 2x England Men's Player of the Year (2022/23)
Man City may be stopping him from winning silverware with Arsenal, but he’s managed to release a Nando’s ‘Saka Sauce’ with his name on it. He received heavy criticism over his missed penalty in the last Euro competition in 2020, and It’s been well-reported that this was a huge low point for him. However, he’s shown a tonne of toughness and resilience in continuing to challenge for titles with Arsenal and the England squad.4) Trent Alexander-Arnold (Midfielder, Liverpool, 25)
- Youngest-ever player to win six major trophies
- Premier League assist record holder
- Champions League Winner (2019)
- Premier League Champion (2020)
Here's another ex-academy boy, playing for the team he grew up supporting. Over recent years, after scoring a crazy amount of goals and assists for a man in defence, Trent has been moved up the pitch into midfield. By making this transition, he’s shown great positivity and adaptability, and he’s already proved that he’s a goalscoring threat for England in the pre-competition friendlies. He’s also launched ‘The After Academy', an initiative for supporting young men with the mental health and identity crises that they often experience when they’re let go from their clubs.
5) Cole Palmer (Forward, Chelsea, 22)
- Premier League Young Player of the Season (2024)
- PFA Fans' Player of the Year awards (2024)
- 22 goals + 11 Premier League assists (2024)
After sitting on the bench for Man City for years, Cole Palmer has lit up the pitch after his move to Chelsea this season. Sure, he’s inexperienced when compared with most of the squad, but he could be the wildcard we need, injecting new blood and excitement into the squad. Other than starring in Chelsea’s recent mental health awareness campaign, 'Talk More Than Football', Palmer hasn’t given the media much to gossip about in terms of his own mental health journey. Instead, he seems to just get the job done with as little said as possible. Super cool and collected, they don’t call him “Cold Palmer” for nothing. However, a big caveat should be mentioned, not just for Palmer but for all of the footballers we’ve mentioned…
They have professional support and resources that most of us cannot access.
These footballers are clearly very driven and capable, but they’re also high-value assets that are looked after extremely well by their club and country. They have managers, coaches, masseurs, sports psychologists, nutritionists, chauffeurs, personal trainers and assistants, and typically, family members who prioritize their career and success over everything else.
Most of us don’t have this. We have much stricter financial limitations alongside a wider range of responsibilities, and we’re often expected to tackle these things pretty much on our own. However, we can still aim to achieve the same amount of discipline and mental strength, and one of the most effective ways we can develop these characteristics in ourselves is through journaling. That's where we come in...
The Seek Self Wellbeing Journal
The Seek Self Wellbeing Journal is a user-friendly and stylish tool that can improve our mental health and resilience, ease stress, and encourage a positive and grateful outlook. With goal-setting tasks alongside workout and meal trackers, it also helps men adopt the long-term vision, ambition, and discipline that leads so many of our most admired footballers to succeed.Sources:
- https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/- https://www.englandfootball.com/england/mens-senior-team/squad
- https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/england-euro-2024-squad
- https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/identity-crisis-trent-alexander-arnold
- https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/foden
Photo Credit: Fars Media Corporation