Danny Rose believes that having the right manager or coach is key to helping athletes who may be dealing with mental health issues.
Rose, who is currently on-loan at Newcastle United from Tottenham Hotspur, opened up about dealing with depression on the eve of England's World Cup warm-up match against Costa Rica in 2018.
His depression was triggered by a knee injury in 2017 but he also had to deal with issues including his mother being racially abused and his uncle taking his own life.
Rose was asked by 'The Lockdown Tactics' podcast presenter, Kris Boyd, if he felt that he had lifted a weight off his shoulders by speaking publicly about it.
"Looking back, probably, yes I would say so," Rose replied.
"At the time, I think, I had already dealt with it when I announced it. That was the year before. I thought to myself I was already past that stage of my life.
"So we had that game that day and one of the Costa Rica players pulled me to the side at half-time and he just said, 'Thank you so much for what you've done, you've helped me out massively'.
"It wasn't until then that I felt, 'Wow, I've had a chance to maybe help other people for the past year, year and a half and I haven't used my platform or the voice that I may have to do so'.
"It wasn't really until then that I thought, it was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and that I could help other people.
"Even now if I go out to eat or go to the supermarket, you get people saying thank you.
"It is amazing that people will go out of their way just to let you know that you may have changed their day or their life with something that you've said, even though you might not have thought that it was a big deal."
Rose has worked with a number of different managers since he first moved to Tottenham in 2007 but Harry Redknapp (2008-2012) and Mauricio Pochettino (2014-2019) had the longest spells in charge while he was there.
The 29-year-old revealed how the different approaches to coaching by both managers affected him personally.
"I can come across as someone who is very angry and miserable so for me, 100%, I do believe that you have to have the right coach who is willing to understand you and know that you're not intentionally bad-minded," said Rose.
"Under Harry I was young and he just thought that I didn't want to be there, you know, because I might not have smiled as much as other [players].
"Obviously under Poch, he understood me and he knows that I don't always smile or I don't always say 'well done' but he knew when it was game day, I'm as committed as anybody and I'll do anything to win three points on a Saturday.
"I 100% agree that it's about having the right manager and I do feel like I've got that under (Newcastle United manager) Steve Bruce."
Rose elaborated by explaining how difficult it can be to try and present yourself the right way in order to keep yourself in the team every week.
"I don't walk around with a frown on my face 24/7 but when a manager feels that you're always miserable or you're not always smiling, you sort of feel that you've got to go the extra mile now and try and be bubbly around the training ground," he added.
"That's not me, I'm not like that. I train hard and I want to win, whether it's rock-paper-scissors or a small training game.
"I just always hope for a manager that would always understand that, I might cause you a few headaches but when it's Saturday at three o'clock that there's no one who will try harder for you to win three points than me."
Rose was also forthright with regard to his feelings about the Premier League returning after the lay-off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahead of the club's returning to training this week, Watford captain Troy Deeney voiced his concerns and said that he would not be returning yet.
Rose believes that the players concerns are not being taken seriously enough.
"People are obviously going through a lot worse than me during this coronavirus pandemic so I don't want to be here complaining about anything," said Rose.
"But the fact that we're being...not made, but people are suggesting that we go back to football and [it's] just like we're guinea pigs or lab rats that, [puts on mock voice] 'we're going to experiment this phase and see if it works or not!'
"I can just imagine people at home, 'Well they earn this amount of money so they should be going back'.
"Stuff like that, I just think this is not worth the hassle. I could be potentially risking my health for people's entertainment and that's not something I want to be involved in if I'm honest with you."
In Ireland you can contact for help with anxiety or depression, you can contact;
Aware on Freephone: 1800 80 48 48
The Samaritans on Freephone: 116 123 or email: [email protected]
Pieta House on Freephone: 1800 247 247 or email: [email protected]
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