Martin Meichelbeck, a solid defender for Bochum around the turn of the century, has transitioned into a second career as a sports psychologist. Now 48, he focuses on addressing mental health issues within professional football.
Q: You head the sports medicine and prevention division for a hospital group and also run your own practice for psychological counselling and sports psychology. Could you describe your work?
Martin Meichelbeck: I realized quite early on that football would be only a limited phase of my life. When I signed my first professional contract at 21, I simultaneously began studying. I did this with my future after football in mind, but it also served as a mental break. I spent 12 years as a footballer and 12 years studying. For me, there was no question that I wanted to establish a foundation for my future while I was still actively playing.
Q: Did your teammates share that perspective?
Meichelbeck: I can`t really say. It`s a very personal decision. What someone chooses to do depends on their own interests and, of course, their intellect. As footballers, we are in a unique position. There isn`t a strong economic necessity for further education; compared to the general population, you earn very well, even if I earned only a fraction of what`s possible today.
Q: Did you ever have the chance to sign a truly lucrative contract?
Meichelbeck: I had two or three offers to move to Aston Villa in the Premier League, but I turned them down each time because I felt comfortable in Bochum, both professionally and personally. Today, I might take that step, even just for the experience and to improve my English. But I`m proud to have contributed to Bochum`s most successful period, including qualifying for the UEFA Cup in the 2003/04 season.
Q: Your coach at the time was Peter Neururer, known for his excellent understanding of people.
Meichelbeck: That`s absolutely true. I found Peter Neururer to be a very intelligent coach with significant strengths in leadership and communication. He was always somewhat underestimated during his career, but he was a very good coach and a wonderful fit for Bochum.
Q: Which leads us to your second career as a sports psychologist.
Meichelbeck: I retired from playing at Greuther Fürth in 2010, and by the following season, I was already working as a sports psychology coach. The president at the time, Helmut Hack, greatly influenced me during that period and became a mentor, particularly in business and organizational matters. I held several roles under him, eventually becoming a member of the management team. The 10 years I spent at Fürth as head of medicine, sports scientist, and sports psychologist were incredibly exciting in every way, and I was able to develop well as a leader.
Q: In 2020, you moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach as `Head of Medicine and Prevention`. What did that role entail?
Meichelbeck: Essentially, it involved providing psychological and medical support to players and coaches, managing the medical and sports science staff, and enhancing existing structures. The simple goal was mental and physical stability, health, and optimization. I stayed at Mönchengladbach for four years until we parted ways. The question arose whether I wanted to remain in football. I had various offers from the top two divisions, but then I was presented with the opportunity to head the `Sports Medicine and Prevention` division of the Knappschaft Clinics. It was a new challenge, and it also allowed me to implement my plan for self-employment, which includes opening a practice for psychological counseling, supervision, sports psychology, and personal training. I`m at the clinic three days a week and at my practice the rest of the time. Thanks to my clients, I`ve maintained a connection to professional football. Within my self-employment, I`m also a partner in a personnel and strategy consultancy for professional football.
Q: You played in the Bundesliga when psychological support was largely unfamiliar to many clubs. What was your experience like then?
Meichelbeck: When I finished my psychology studies in 2010, I was quite confident that it represented the future of competitive sports. When physical resources are maximized, the only area left to develop is the mind. However, this topic still doesn`t receive as much attention as I believe it deserves. Sports psychology support is commonly available in youth academies, but it`s only partially established among professional teams. I estimate that only about a quarter of first and second-division teams employ sports psychologists.
Q: How is that possible in a world where self-optimization is part of everyday life?
Meichelbeck: It`s partly due to some negative experiences. For instance, with mental coaches who lacked sufficient competence and consequently brought serious sports psychology into disrepute. Football still requires a lot of education on this topic. Furthermore, psychology focuses on `soft factors,` while professional football remains strictly results-driven. Psychological support, when truly integrated into a club`s work, can contribute to long-term success.
Q: What are the main issues a sports psychologist addresses at a Bundesliga club?
Meichelbeck: It bothers me that public perception of psychology often focuses primarily on addressing perceived weaknesses, such as dealing with anxiety or coping with performance pressure. While that`s a crucial part, in competitive sports, it`s much more about activating and expanding psychological strengths. For example, a rather introverted central defender might be told by his coach to communicate more with teammates but struggles with it. A psychologist can help him overcome his limitations and become an even better player.
Q: But isn’t dealing with pressure and anxiety simply part of being a professional?
Meichelbeck: Yes, of course. A relegation battle is one of the biggest psychological challenges in football, especially concerning the gap between public perception and a player`s own feelings. When things are going poorly, fans and the media often suggest players lack desire or effort. But from my own experience, every footballer desperately wants to avoid defeats and relegation. However, in extreme situations, the fear of making mistakes can be so overwhelming that it paralyzes even experienced athletes. Many factors contribute to success in football. In this digital age, with sports heavily focused on rigid metrics like numbers, facts, and data, we often forget that Bundesliga players also possess highly sensitive personality traits. This is why coaches like Jürgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti are so successful; they demonstrate great ability in building relationships with their players.
Q: What makes a good coach at this level?
Meichelbeck: Giving a single answer is difficult because squads are so diverse in terms of language, intellect, personality, and background. If a coach can build an individual connection with each player in such a varied team while maintaining a clear framework aligned with the club`s philosophy, success is usually the outcome. A good coach works with his players` strengths, focuses on resources rather than deficits, and asks the right questions: What does this player need to perform optimally? What role in my system suits him best? How should I guide him?
Q: Footballers are people, but they work in a very specific profession. As a former footballer and psychologist, how do you assess this type of person?
Meichelbeck: There are two important aspects to football players. First, their generally high sensitivity, and second, the fact that they often have a narcissistic personality. This has both advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, they are highly ambitious and goal-oriented; on the other, their own needs and self-focus often take priority. This is frequently visible in their public image: their tattoos, hairstyles, fashion, and social media presence. Their pronounced image-consciousness is undeniable.
Q: And what`s the best way to manage these personalities?
Meichelbeck: For a coaching team, building a constructive relationship with players is essential, and that requires time. The key element for professional footballers, and also for sports psychologists, is self-confidence: the inner belief that one`s abilities can be effectively applied.
Q: You mentioned social media. What role does it play in self-confidence?
Meichelbeck: Instagram and other platforms have made players highly transparent. Anyone who participates in this exposes themselves emotionally. The drawbacks are clear. I frequently work with professionals who are dealing with public backlash (`shitstorms`) and trying to cope. Focusing on negative external evaluation can negatively impact self-esteem, and this needs to be addressed.
Q: Is football so popular and fascinating partly because the psyche plays such a multifaceted role?
Meichelbeck: Absolutely. You have 22 individuals, each with their own personality and charisma. Plus, everything else that`s involved: the intense emotions, fans, media, staff, sponsors – that`s what keeps football so engaging and exciting for me.
Q: You believe there`s still significant potential for developing mental strength in football. Is there an ideal player in the Bundesliga in this regard?
Meichelbeck: For me, Joshua Kimmich seems to be the epitome of a mentally stable footballer. He plays at least 60 games every year, performs consistently, is very ambitious, and always wants to improve. He`s also a fantastic midfielder. I never understood the discussions surrounding him last season.
Q: Robert Enke took his own life just a year before your playing career ended. How present are such extreme psychological situations in your work?
Meichelbeck: A mental illness and subsequent suicide are the worst possible outcomes. My work in mental health is primarily focused on prevention. Therefore, it`s crucial for clubs to take the needs and problems of players, coaches, and staff seriously. Although, I must say, severe mental illnesses are relatively less common in professional football than in the general population, partly because the support available is simply better and more comprehensive. It`s also vital to look beyond just the players themselves and understand what`s happening in their personal lives. If a player`s partner or parent suffers from a mental illness, this places an enormous strain on the player. It would be great if we were all more sensitive to this, but the professional football system is fundamentally driven by performance and success. This makes it even more important that managers, coaches, and players themselves take preventative steps and develop strategies regarding their mental health and stability.
Q: When you started your current path 15 years ago, you predicted psychology would be a key future issue in sports. How does it look today, and what can we expect in this field in the coming years?
Meichelbeck: In the age of digitalization and globalization, the focus will be on calming one`s own nervous system and avoiding excessive dependence on external factors. Therefore, it will be increasingly crucial to create safe spaces within clubs where players, coaches, and staff feel secure. A good dressing room environment was important back then and is even more so today. On the pitch, the focus will be on using our brain resources even more effectively for performance: processing speed, peripheral vision, rapid decision-making. I don`t think players will necessarily run faster or shoot harder. But on a mental level, there is still significant potential for improvement.
