Self-belief is one of the greatest differences between footballers at the highest level of the game and those below. Speaking to players at varying levels of professional football, many lower down tend to look up to their superiors as if they will never be capable of the same. For the few with higher ambitions, hard work to develop skill is only half the battle. It is true that they often conceal these ambitions from the group to avoid ridicule. The worst scenario - but all too common - is when players lose their self-belief and allow doubt to creep in as a way of conforming to the team’s standards or the culture of low expectations set for them by others such as their manager.
In our experience, those who have risen to the top never openly displayed these doubts. It would be no surprise that they have at some point had them, but harnessing fear of failure correctly is what then propels them to work harder and eventually achieve what they secretly know to be the case - their true capabilities. This doubt never affects their belief in what they could possess through Will and therefore it only serves to improve performance. Fear and doubt can motivate one player into working harder and being more assertive, while it leads another to find excuses to quit or step aside. By retaining self-belief, a player can stay on the right side of this line.
The problem is, most players and people in general have had their self-belief beaten out of them since birth. First through parents, then schoolteachers, the playground, coaches, teammates and eventually media, fans and spectators. Doubting oneself is the norm. But the greatest players on Earth are not the norm, they are special. For those who retain their self-belief through these, much is attainable with a lack of genuine competition. This is a mental skill, alike any other, which can be improved over time. Therefore, if you are currently lacking, train your mind and develop greater self-belief.
p.s. don’t smoke kids - it’s just an analogy to use Spence who retained self-belief even after being cast out of Warnock’s Middlesborough squad.
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