Barcelona midfielder explains how working with a sports psychologist has helped him in his career | OneFootball

The advent of psychology in the game of football is not necessarily a new concept but it has seen gaining increased prominence in recent years. Players are more open to talking about the impact of a psychologist on their careers.

In this increasingly unforgiving world of football where social media can often have a demoralizing impact on a player’s confidence, it is often a wise choice to seek external help and find a way to retain your sanity in this hostile environment.

Different players like Ferran Torres have often spoken about mental toughness at different points at Barcelona and now, Marc Casado has spoken about how working with a sports psychologist has helped him in his career. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, here is what Casado had to say:

“Yes. It was especially helpful at the beginning when I saw that I wasn’t getting the opportunities I wanted and I believed I was working to the maximum. That was quite frustrating. In my mind, I thought that if I wasn’t getting the opportunity, it was because I really wasn’t giving it my all.”

“And it was frustrating to know that I was giving everything, but at the same time thinking that I could do more to try to play. Working with professionals in that field helped me to be calmer because sometimes not everything depends on you. You can be giving your maximum and the coach might not trust you, might not play you. That’s when you have to be calm with your work and keep doing the same.”

Casado was then asked if the period of frustration he was referring to was the numerous times he was called up to the first team but never got a chance to play. The 21-year-old said:

“Exactly, at the beginning of the season, I had a difficult moment when I was quite frustrated, but the people around me helped me find solutions that helped.”

The 21-year-old midfielder however conceded that Rafa Marquez’s immense trust in him was a huge vote of confidence. The Mexican built the quarry team around Casado and that helped the player. He continued:

“Yes. Afterward, I would play with the reserve team, and Márquez’s trust was tremendous. The important thing was to translate the level I was showing in the reserve team to the first team.”

Marc Casado’s words highlight just how difficult last season was for him as a player. He was no longer a teenager, and in his head, he would have had question marks as to whether he would ever make it to the first team and become a regular member. Now, he has a spot in the Spain squad and is getting praise from club legends like Sergio Busquets.

However, as they say, everything happens for a reason. It needed a Hansi Flick to get the best out of Casado at Barcelona and let’s hope this is just the start and that the 21-year-old continues to dominate the club’s midfield for a long time.