A Winning Mentality for Footballers

There have been many successful teams and players across the world of football and only a select few teams can remain successful for a long time. One thing in common that these teams and players possess is their strong, winning mentality. No one is born with a winning mentality, it is an asset that is learned and developed with the squad and environment you are put in. In order to successfully hone this mentality, you must be surrounded by an environment that does not accept mediocracy. One example is when Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United in 2003.  

Ronaldo entered a dressing room full of 'mentality monsters' as people refer to them today. It was a team that lived and thrived off success and titles - no less. This was the perfect environment for any young footballer to develop not just their football skills but also develop a mindset that is hard to break. With Ronaldo, the rest is history since he signed for United - one of (if not) the greatest footballers of all time.

Even today, his mentality and desire for success nearing the end of his playing days remain unmatched. Many footballers at his age either retire or 'collect their retirement wage' in foreign countries that offer lucrative contracts. It is very rare to see footballers like Ronaldo, Messi, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic still push themselves at the very elite level despite their age. This all came from the environment they grew up in as footballers - a winning mentality was installed and programmed from an early age.

With the new generation of footballers, it is hard to see the same mentality and desire for success and challenges. The commercialisation of football which generates rather large incomes of money has changed the game. Since there is more money involved, players are also getting paid much more in their weekly wages. So-called 'average players' get paid much more than some of the greats of the game in previous generations. In my opinion, this is one of the reasons why these sets of new players don't possess the hunger, desire and mentality to keep challenging themselves at elite levels or different leagues.

A prime example of the modern age is Kylian Mbappe. A footballer that is gifted with immense amounts of talent and ability. At such a young age he became successful and was on the right path to a career that would leave a very positive legacy. Don't get me wrong he has already achieved a career most players dream of, winning the world cup as a teenager and almost winning every domestic trophy every year at club level. 

However, in a recent transfer scuffle, he snubbed a 'dream move' to his well-known boyhood club Real Madrid to accept a very ludicrous contract extension from PSG where it is reported he has a role in dealing with transfers of players and managers as well as the weekly wage of around 1-2 million euros (all reported/rumours). This shows how football has changed with the increased funds in the modern age, as players would not usually turn down their boyhood club for a contract extension.

In my opinion, at PSG he was surrounded by players who did not have a strong winning mentality. Yes, they win the league almost every year, but most football fans and 'experts' know that the french league is not 'Top 5 Leagues' in the world. In other words, the French League is not seen as a competitive or challenging league. And PSG has yet to have success in the Champions League as they always fail every year - which shows the mentality of the squad. If Mbappe moved to Madrid, he would have been surrounded by 'serial winners' and players and staff who have been on the big stage more than once and always tasted success. His legacy would have become one of the most elite for any footballer and achieved something neither Messi nor Ronaldo has - which is a World Cup and Champions League trophy. 

Thus it is clear to see that you must surround yourself with people who do not mediocracy or take poor results in a bad way. A winner uses 'losses' as experience and a learning curve in order to make sure next time success is the only thing that is acceptable. Winners never settle for less than that. Ever.