Secret Footballer

Depression is not something that ex-professional players often talk about, but our Secret Football – a former player who suffered from the illness – says players should open up more about it considering the difficulties that come in retirement.

This month’s Secret Footballer discusses an issue that is often swept under the carpet – depression in football.

When professional players go through the transition after retiring, it’s a very difficult process. Immediately you have to face a different reality and that is when most players go through depression. I was one of those players.

I played in the PSL for many years and enjoyed all the perks that came with professional football but once I stopped, I went through difficult times and as Africans we don’t talk about depression.

I mean, you cannot be in an industry for 15 to 20 years and then ‘boom’, you are completely cut off from it just like that. If that happens, it is very traumatic. You no longer have the attention from newspapers, magazines, radio stations or TV. Everything is gone.

Once you retire, your team replaces you with another star and the fans forget about you. Yes, fans might greet you or ask for a picture when they see you, but you have no relevance in people’s lives anymore. And that happens instantly.

Your contract ends in June and by August your life is a different ball game – a lot of players go into deep depression. Fans used to chant your name and now there is silence.

Traumatic cycle

The main issue is that most of us don’t want to be seen as fallen stars. When Percy Tau was at Mamelodi Sundowns, he was their big star and once he left, Peter Shalulile came in and took over the attention.

At least Percy went to Europe and now Egypt, but can you imagine when that happens to someone who has retired?

That is how football is, there is always someone coming to replace you. It’s a cycle and when players retire, they are not prepared for that cycle. It’s quite traumatic.

On the financial side, during your playing days you can afford to make financial mistakes because you have money coming into your bank account all the time. You play for your team and get paid a salary and bonuses, you play for the national team and get an appearance fee, so you are not so strict about how you use your money.

But when you retire, you have to count every cent and make sure your money is used correctly because you don’t know where your next pay cheque will come from.

Unless you are going into a field which will give you the same amount of money you got while you were playing, you have to count your money all the time.

I’ve gone through the same process after I retired and it’s just that I didn’t know it was depression. I had to start from scratch and was not mentally prepared for it. It took me a while to get back on my feet and to where I am today.

When you look at the current players who earn R300,000 to R500,000 per month; there is just no way those guys will be able to afford the same lifestyle they are living after retiring. How many careers will pay them that kind of money? It’s not possible. Unless they have made serious investments, it’s a financial change they will have to make later in their lives.

Making the transition

Players need to open up about being educated for life after football, I’m not talking about going to school, I’m talking about accepting that things will change once you retire.

While we were playing this topic never came up. When players are travelling, these are the things that they should be discussing. Life starts after football because you retire in your mid or late 30s and after that you can live up to 70 or 80.

So what are you going to do during that period? We don’t talk about this and don’t open ourselves up to experts so that they can give us advice. Even when you put 10 percent of your income away, it’s not going to help you.

Footballers have all these things to deal with, including ‘black tax’ – they are under so much pressure while they are playing.

My advice is to look at what you are good at while playing and invest in that. You have to ask yourself, what other gift do you have except for playing?

“YOU ARE LOSING THE MENTAL BATTLE INSIDE YOUR HEAD AND THAT IS WHEN SUICIDE CAN HAPPEN.”

If you have business acumen, then start your business while playing – don’t wait until curtains have come down. Turn your passion into a money-making thing because football is not the only thing you are good at.

We need to address these things because depression is a real problem. You are losing the mental battle inside your head and that is when suicide can happen. Can you imagine when you are playing for a big team like Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, and then suddenly you are told your contract will not be renewed? What do you do?

Other clubs start telling you that you are too expensive and that is when you realise that you are too old, and your value is no longer the same.