At the end of March, Brazilian and Tottenham striker Richarlison told ESPN Brasil that therapy saved his life and his football career.
“We know how prejudiced people can be when they say they’re looking. [psychological] Please help me,” the 26-year-old said.
“I talk about it because it saved my life. I was at rock bottom. “I talk about it because it saved my life. Only the players know if they are there.”
Richarlison's comments are just the latest example of athletes speaking publicly about their mental health, a trend that has been on the rise over the past five years. But in Brazil, such comments are not as common as in other regions.
A 2023 paper by Professor Tania María de Araujo published in the Brazilian Health Journal says that improvements in mental health provision across the country are hampered by access to mental health services and legislation. In the book Mental Health in Elite Sport: Applied Perspectives from Around the World, eight authors bring together insights into mental health in Brazilian sport, highlighting the impact of socio-economic factors such as access to proper nutrition and sanitation. It became clear how big of an impact he can have on young players.
Despite this, and despite the overwhelming popularity of soccer in Brazil, interdisciplinary teams capable of meeting the technical, tactical, psychological and mental health needs of players and coaches are common in the country. Not the target. Sports psychologists are not often part of first-team staff and, although they are compulsory in youth academies, they are often under the heavy burden of managing many teams on their own. However, this problem is not unique to Brazil and exists in many soccer academies around the world.
“This problem is bigger than soccer,” Cohuan de Almeida, head coach of second-division side América Mineiro, told DW.
And in America, the club where Richarlison started his career, Cowan and his staff do their best to help players develop mentally on and off the field.
Coaching through values
The 35-year-old is the face of Brazil's new coaching generation, honing his skills in the academy and now bringing his values into the first-team environment. Cowan came up from the American academy and brought with him the values of his own coaching philosophy (resilience, attitude, action, respect, courage, responsibility and family) and brought them to the practice field. I am practicing it. Combined with his technical and tactical coaching.
This is not to say that the club is not focused on winning. As one of America's most traditional clubs, America is keen to return to the top flight, but Cowan and his staff also believe there is value in creating meaning beyond victories on the pitch. I understand.
“We know that if we put these values and philosophies into practice, we as a group can provide more consistency to our players every day,” Cowan said.
“When we communicate these values to our players every day, we drill these values into their heads, not just for the club but for their families. They're going to be better players, they're going to be better people, and they're going to be better players.'' They can go home and pass that knowledge on to their families. . ”
The importance of holistic coaching is recognized here.
“We understand that this is a very important thing to discuss, not only for our group, but also for Brazilian football as a whole,” Cowan says.
“As leaders of the process, we are also dealing with this situation. I know what Richarlison felt. “We need to understand the pressure of a result and how to deal with losing a match. We need to become stronger.” ”
To this end, Cowan is working with some of the country's leading sports psychologists to support himself and his players. When asked if this was common in soccer in this country, she replied: “I don't think so, because the psychologist said I was the first soccer coach she had ever seen.”
comprehensive heritage
The biggest challenge for Brazilian football is to move away from the idea that being Brazilian football means having purely expressive and natural abilities, and towards an ability to recognize humanity and the importance of the heart. is.
“We also know that if we live up to our values, we will leave a legacy for our club and our players,” Cowan said.
The 35-year-old wants to instill these values at the heart of the club. That way, when the day comes that you no longer coach, those values will remain and create the strategic coherence that allows for long-term personal and professional growth.
Richarlison opened the door to a generational change. But Cohuan de Almeida is making sure America Mineiro chases him with all his might. Their hope is that Brazilian football as a whole will be the same.
Editor: Chuck Penfold
