bundesliga

Bayern Munich players on handling mental health

15.10.2024

Bayern Munich quartet Leroy Sané, Thomas Müller, Matthys Tel and Kingsley Coman give their thoughts following World Mental Health Day.

Leroy Sané:

"To me, mental strength means being clear in your mind, focused on the here and now, executing what you want to do in that moment well. I have to say I build up the pressure on myself more the bigger the games are. Obviously there's more pressure there, which I enjoy the most. Of course, everyone wants you to put in a good performance to win the game so that does come by itself a bit, but I build it up a bit more. That motivates me in general, in that you have a certain feeling in your body, you notice that tension, that tingling. In some way, it's a good feeling. Family, wife and kids. As soon as I have them around me I kind of come out of that bubble because they just see me for who I am, not as this professional footballer."

Thomas Müller:

"Many people feel the same. You have fears, you have joy, you have hope. Of course, you are guided and influenced by your own performances and observations. The fact we have fears, the fact we doubt ourselves when things aren't going so well, that's perfectly normal. It's about how you deal with it when these negative things are coming at you, and how you deal with it when you're flying high. I've always been someone who's seen the chance not the defeat. I've always been better when I have my back against the wall because then there's something to gain. To begin with, obviously, as a child, a teenager, I was always the competitive type. I just enjoyed competing. But as I've got older I've been able to reflect: 'hey, why do you think that way? Why does it make sense to think that way?' You just remember it's no good getting into a negative spiral. I know that maybe not everyone will accept that when I say it's no good, some are pulled into it, even though they don't want to at all. But then when you recognise it, that would be the time to seek help because I think there are enough tips and tricks to manipulate yourself in a good direction."

Matthys Tel:

"I have headphones and listen to music. There's nothing in my head other than the game. I'm very focused and I'm getting ready to deliver a top performance. A friend from France wrote a book about concentration and mentality. I learned, whatever happens, stay calm. When the moment comes, stay calm. I listen to music, I sleep. That helps me a lot, though. Then I can stay calm and collected."

Kingsley Coman:

"I try to sleep and just get to work. I know there are always those moments, you can't always be at your best. We can't always win. But now I'm better at handling defeats. I used to not be able to sleep but that's not good. When you're playing every three days you need to sleep. You need the sleep for the next game. And if you lose two games and don't sleep you're not as fresh for the next one. Now I get really angry and everything but I don't want to take that energy with me and bring it into the next game. I just want to have that energy because you should be angry, that's normal. But after that I have to come with fresh energy to win that next game."