Nine players from across the soccer pyramid speak openly and frankly about life under lockdown

The global coronavirus pandemic has stopped football in its tracks, leaving hundreds of professionals joining the rest of the UK in closing.

Lack of routine brings with it its own set of problems for footballers, who are used to getting up and going to train every day and preparing for games on weekends.

Here, Sportsmail He has compiled the thoughts of professional footballers from across the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two to see how they are dealing with the closure of football …

Who are the soccer players?

What do you do during the closure?

JONES You do things that you normally wouldn’t have time to do. I don’t always see my little son that much, you always have to look at the positive side of life. I try to improve my learning in different areas of the computer that normally I would not have time to do.

I am trying to do some volunteering with the elderly. You have to improvise. I spoke to my dad and he told me to do it. He sent me a link to the Daily Mail campaign and I am in the process of doing so.

It’s about being there for the people who need it. And it will keep me busy if someone needs my help. Any purchase, anything. If I only receive a message to help one person, I will get satisfaction from that.

THE GHAZI: Training is suspended and at this moment I am still at home. It is a really strange feeling. The strangest feeling I have is that I have discovered that I really don’t have a life without football.

McANUFF: I found that trying to create a new routine to focus a bit has been really helpful. With the kids at home, it has been nice to have that time with them and I have certainly found that this has helped.

By having your schedule and working towards it, you obviously keep yourself physically and mentally busy. Everyone else seems to be dealing with that too, and it’s obviously very early and we’re not sure exactly when we’ll be back.

HENEGHAN I’ve been reading Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, a book on investing and starting your own business. At times like these, it’s always worth having an eye on the future.

MASSEY Well, it certainly isn’t the usual routine I’m used to. I get up in the morning, change some diapers, and stay with Bloomberg at 7 am to see what’s going on with the money markets. I don’t even have a clue what they say, but it’s a learning process for me.

My agent has vast experience in that kind of thing. We were talking last week and he advised me to take a look at why things are being affected by the coronavirus. How can a pandemic like this affect the entire world, like airlines and banks?

I’m trying to understand it and understand how something like this can have such a negative effect. We buy some BP stock and if I make a small profit here and there I want to give it to charities. Today I donated some money to the National Emergencies Trust. Everything you do will be to help with the situation that is happening.

HAUNSTRUP: Upon learning that soccer will not exist for a while, I found myself watching previous games in which I have participated more. I do this a lot during the season anyway. I think that as a psychological element it helps me to keep confidence in my mind that I am a good player.

It also reminds me of what I need to do and what I need to work on to improve my fitness, while if I’m constantly sitting on my PlayStation or watching TV all day, I don’t feel like I’m going to do it. I have the right mindset to allow myself to improve my physical condition, since I am not thinking about soccer.

ADAMS: I can’t sit still and I really don’t like being alone. The ACL I suffered previously has definitely helped me deal with this. My lady is great and we have four children so they keep us busy. I leave school at home! My job is to play … soccer and boxing in the garden.

SANDERSON Well what I’ve been doing is looking back on my previous games and analyzing myself: what could I do better? What do I need to work on? Even seeing other players, for example.

I watch defenders in my positions, like Virgil van Dijk from Liverpool and Dani Alves in Sao Paulo. I study how they play, what they do and try to add it to my game. It is very important to keep the mind and body working during this difficult period.

How do you keep fit?

THE GHAZI: Usually, you get up and go training, and you’re already busy preparing for the next fight, the next game on a Saturday.

Now I get up and jog a little, do some exercises in the garden, but I don’t feel like I’m getting anything out of the day. It indicates that soccer is really my life.

HENEGHAN That is a massive part of my life right now. To try and keep my mind busy, I’ve been doing a couple of workouts a day. There is a gym in my parents’ garage and I work a lot on punching bags as well as cardiovascular exercises.

I run between 5k and 10k every day when we are allowed to do our only form of exercise. In terms of kicking the ball, there is a field not far away and I have taken the ball several times.

McANUFF: Soccer is a fairly unique environment. You spend a lot of time with people, as in other areas of life, but there is an intensity in what we do. Your entire training week is set to reach the highest level for that match and now you don’t have that launch.

I’m sure there will be boys who struggle with that motivation, but in the WhatsApp group, the boys publish good sessions, scores, distances and times and everyone wants to keep up.

ROBERTS I have been working hard I think I have a lot of self-control, so when I am doing my sessions my brain does not allow me to skip things or take shortcuts because, on the one hand, it makes me feel guilty and two, I think if you are going to do something then you can also give it 100 percent and improve it.

JONES We are using the Strava app and our fitness trainer has been great. At my age, 32, you know what you can do and when you can do it. No one really knows when we will be back, but it is some pride of your own to keep track of yourself.

MASSEY It will be difficult for most footballers. Most of us just want to play competitive games. We enjoyed the training and the fight on Saturday. Without that final goal it is a bit fuzzy, but you know you have to train because you are a professional and it is your job.

This scenario is a little different because you are not in a routine. Everyone is in the dark with what is happening.

HAUNSTRUP: There is no doubt that this period of isolation is proving to be a difficult test, particularly with so many unclear things for the near future and beyond regarding soccer. There is automatically a lack of motivation to keep fit due to the obvious lack of atmosphere and equipment that comes with the period of isolation.

At home I don’t have the equipment you would find in a training camp or the space where a training camp would allow. Many ideas crossed my mind, one of them: “I need to be fit to be able to compete once this problem is solved.” With that in mind, I have been completing workouts: during the day, strength training, and then at night, I will complete a 5km run.

ADAMS: It is definitely difficult from a football point of view. We have to be ready for when they tell us to come back. It is different for everyone in how they face. Soccer is my life and training alone is not ideal, but you have to keep going. Follow the fitness coach’s plans and check.

SANDERSON Staying indoors is difficult when you’ve been so immersed in a soccer grind. Waking up early, training in the morning, doing gymnastics in the afternoon. Having that regime removed from me is difficult, it seems that I have nothing left.

As a footballer, it’s important to stay almost in a rut, you know? Wake up early, go for a run, stay busy.

Do you have financial concerns?

HENEGHAN Yes of course. I am without a contract at Sheffield United and my loan period at Blackpool ends at the end of May, making it a particularly uncertain time.

Everything is in the air. No one knows what will happen, if we are going to continue this season, if it is going to be canceled.

These are worrying times. Everyone continues, trying to take care of their families as best they can, following personal fitness programs, just trying to keep their minds busy.

McANUFF: Absolutely. All the talk about salary cuts and salary deferrals elsewhere would surely be on the minds of most players in League Two, League One. Even in the Championship, the boys are making really good money there, but it’s all relative.

People live to a certain standard and, under normal circumstances, do not anticipate having to take a potential reduction when they are hired for a certain period of time. Most footballers have a good idea of ​​what is happening across the country and the world and we are not going to be immune to the financial implications, I’m sure.

It is something that concerns not only younger boys, there are older boys who have mortgages, children and at this level people do not receive ridiculous sums of money. Whether it’s a 30, 40 percent reduction, in Birmingham you’re talking about 50 percent, which is a big cut in anyone’s world.

ROBERTS Much has been done about the Leeds squad taking a salary deferral, but at times like this, thinking about the sacrifices that the NHS staff and other workers are making, we, as players, felt it was the right thing to do.

Great sacrifices are being made that deserve the greatest support of all.

Are you concerned about future contractual issues?

HENEGHAN I don’t know what my situation would be if the season started again in the summer. We read different stories about short-term contract extensions across the board, but until something like this becomes official, it is impossible to make plans. You just want the peace of mind of having an idea of ​​what’s going to happen.

At times like these, there are financial concerns for everyone. This is the job we choose, but still, everyone has bills they have to pay.

Have you been offered any help from the PFA?

HENEGHAN: You can call the PFA if you need to and talk about things, but there is only so much they can do, until a real decision is made about what the future is like.

As a lender, it is difficult to know what will happen. It is also difficult for clubs. There are so many players in Leagues One and Two that are borrowed from elsewhere, so if their main clubs decided not to extend those loans in the summer, it could have a big impact on the teams.

McANUFF: Yes, they have been helping. They have been quite good at offering their services from a psychological point of view. Our manager Ross Embleton has also been very active in terms of saying: if someone needs to speak, if there is something that people need, then he is very there.

We have a woman who works predominantly with the youth team, but is obviously available to any first-team player to talk to. I know some of the boys have used it in the past and still do.

Obviously Martin Ling, with his own mental health issues in the past, is very proactive on that side and is constantly informing us of any developments. I think it’s the most important thing, just trying to be as clear as possible in a pretty cloudy situation.

How have you remained positive?

ROBERTS This period we are in has tested me in ways I never thought I would find. The uncertainty about when the league will start again and the amount of training time we will have before the games.

The hardest thing for me as a footballer is working to achieve an unclear goal or the time we are allowed to return to training. At Leeds, we are currently the best in the league and we are eager to end the season because we know we can make history and it is in our hands, so that is a great motivation for me every day.

Making sure that when we are clear about returning that I am in the best possible condition, I can help the team cross that important goal.

HAUNSTRUP: It is definitely really difficult. I think there is a fear of testing positive for coronavirus, that is natural now. At Portsmouth we have had five players: Ross McCrorie, James Bolton, Andy Cannon, Haji Mnoga and Sean Raggett all tested positive. The main fear for me is to pass it on to the people who are most vulnerable to it. You must stay safe, and stay fit and healthy, and get over it with the help of your friends and family.

MASSEY I started playing soccer very early at age six and the average retirement age is 35, so you dedicate your life to playing soccer and don’t really think about life after that. This is how many players can get depressed and things like that.

They are used to waking up in a routine, going to train to play games. After football, once it’s done, it’s done. There’s nothing to do. You have to try to keep yourself busy and stay as positive as you can.

SANDERSON There are some soccer players who fall apart because they feel they have nothing when they are not in soccer. They start to get lazy, they wake up in the afternoon, they miss the days they should have trained and that is due to self-isolation, being alone. Yes, it is nice with the family at home, but it almost takes away the motivation to continue training.

It is important that you find a way to stay motivated and set goals. I have to see it as an opportunity to work on myself, improve my physical condition, improve my responsibility, take possession of my work and my training. It’s about staying motivated, knowing what you want in the end. It is very important to keep the mind active and the body. Much has been said about soccer played in the brain.

HENEGHAN Well, having a close family definitely helps. Since joining Blackpool, I have stayed at my parents’ house in Warrington, as it is easier than traveling every day from Sheffield. It is such an unfamiliar situation, like spending the summer holidays, but without being able to go anywhere or do anything.

JONES There is nothing worse than sitting looking at your phone. It’s boring, don’t get me wrong, and there are times in the day that you want to go back to the boys and focus on the next game.

I have my little man half the week and then the other half I am alone. If there is something in your life that you enjoy, you should focus on it. For me, I hope to see my little man.

Overall, it’s been a bit mixed really. The few days on my own is when you can get some exercise and boredom, but you find ways to stay entertained and try to be productive.

ADAMS: It’s about staying positive. We are all in group chats, laughing and trying to stay optimistic. Taking the powder is good, just what we do daily in the locker room. We are all in the same boat, right? We just have to keep going. The most important thing is people’s health and safety. Each of us knows it.

The lowest point of my career was when I did my ACL a couple of years ago at Carlisle. I was gone for 10 months, so my mentality is to use that experience in this situation. Mentally, it was a great challenge for me. There were some very dark moments in those first few weeks. I did not do well. But I’m not that kind of boy and I didn’t want to be hit. If I can get through that, I can get through this.

Has diet been a problem without a routine?

HENEGHAN Fortunately, I had already given up on chocolate and sweets for Lent, so I was able to stay careful with my diet – lots of fish and brown rice, trying to keep it as slim as possible and keep my body fat low.

ROBERTS I think so, yes. Being at home without much freedom and with many restrictions makes it challenging to try to continue your usual routine of waking up, training, eating well, staying healthy, and staying motivated to exercise.

And a word to our amazing NHS staff …

ROBERTS The NHS is doing remarkable work. It is amazing to hear and see all the people who risk their health and their lives to help others.

I hope this time does not last too long and we all come together and think of each other at all times so that we can keep as many people as safe as possible. Everything that is happening has made me realize how much we need to be considerate of others and stay healthy at all times.

HAUNSTRUP: Wow. The tension and pressure they face every day and how they cope is something for which I have nothing but the greatest respect and admiration. They are the ones who deserve all our support.

How difficult it must be for people who have contracted the virus, how difficult it is for workers in these conditions and especially our amazing health care service.

Ultimately, the only thing this continuous scenario has made me realize is that not everything in life is about soccer. It is a reminder to me and a realization that health is a factor that I have severely underestimated and underestimated.

Seeing the destruction this pandemic has caused has made me realize that good health is the number one and essential priority to be happy.

JONES The NHS is doing tremendous work for the country. There is a bigger picture and time will heal. The country is coming together a little. Not everyone, including myself, takes it too seriously to start. I think I had it myself, I had symptoms and I had to isolate myself for a week. My mom and dad are not well right now.

As footballers, we obviously miss him, that day to day with the boys and normality, but they quickly realize that there are many people in the worst situation in the world. No one is asked to stay home forever. It won’t last. We’ll come out the other side and return to our daily routine, hopefully very soon.

MASSEY The NHS is struggling right now. My doctor at the soccer club works for his local practice and says how difficult things are. Footballers can definitely help in this way. I am one of them and I would love to help.