Bellingham Reveals Battle with Mental Health and Pressure in Football

Jude Bellingham Reveals Vulnerability on World Mental Health Day

In a candid interview on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham shared his personal experiences and reflections on mental health in sports. Bellingham confessed to having felt vulnerability at certain moments in his career, especially during his beginnings at Birmingham City. He revealed that he used to search his name on social media, but over time he learned not to pay attention to external criticism.

“With the development of social media and technology, there are more ways to attack someone, to make them feel bad, and I think there is still a stigma about talking about mental health. I know there have been times when I have felt vulnerable, doubted myself and needed to talk to someone, and, instead, I have tried to maintain this image of a macho athlete of ‘I don’t need anyone’. The truth is, yes, we all need it. And you will feel much better talking about your feelings and emotions.”

Jude Bellingham

Bellingham, who is also a Laureus ambassador, highlighted the importance of athletes being role models and opening a dialogue about mental health. He believes that unrealistic expectations still exist for athletes, who are often perceived as people who “should shut up and take it.” The footballer emphasized the difficulty athletes can face in the face of hatred and criticism, and the importance of setting limits to negative comments. Bellingham shared that, although he has never been in a mentally deep situation, he has seen the suffering of others and regrets that reality. Furthermore, Bellingham highlighted the impact of the expectations that athletes impose on themselves. He mentioned the importance of maintaining confidence, accepting that success will not always be achieved in every play or match. He emphasized that being comfortable with imperfection is key to mental well-being.