Former England youth international Charlie Wakefield said he ‘felt like he’d killed someone in his past life’, after a string of injuries ended his promising career at Chelsea.
Wakefield picked up ten serious hamstring injuries between the ages of 18 and 21, just after he had started training with the first team under Antonio Conte.
Now aged 26, Wakefield has made a documentary on mental health in football, and has emphasised just how important having the correct mindset is when battling injuries.
At 18, Wakefield was starring for the Chelsea Under-23s alongside the likes of Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, until one game changed his life.
He said: “Everything was looking very promising at Chelsea, I had just scored a goal against Arsenal Under 23s, and we were playing Exeter City first team in the EFL Trophy.
“Within the first 30 minutes I pulled my hamstring. And from there it just kept happening. I would do all the correct rehab for months, and the doctors would always say my hamstrings were the strongest in the team when we did strength tests.
“But as soon as I went back to training, they would go again. It was a frustrating time as I was seeing people in my age group making their mark, and I was stuck inside.
“At this point, I was thinking that in another life I must have killed someone. I remember times I sat there with tears in my eyes thinking I would have to retire.”
When battling these negative thoughts, Wakefield stresses how important the right outlook on life can be.
“I have always had the mentality that ‘everything happens for a reason’, and I think repeating that to myself when I was going through these hard times was very important.
“It’s easy to let negative thoughts creep in, and think ‘why has this happened to me?’. I knew thinking like this would send me on a downward spiral, so I decided to view it as a test I was given for a reason.
“I don’t believe in God, but I think somebody wanted to test my mentality through these injuries. I think my family were actually more down about it than me because of this mindset.”
Wakefield recently scored a screamer for his current club Braintree in the play off final, which saw them promoted to the National League. Wakefield urges younger players to make sure they steer away from negativity when battling injuries.
“My advice to anyone who is injured is to steer away from negativity. The more positive your mind is with these injuries, the better the comeback will be.
“Having a positive mindset when you’re going through injuries is vital. Just doing things which are good for your brain. I started reading ten pages of motivational books every day last year, and it’s made a big difference.”
Wakefield admits there have been times that he has let injuries affect his in game performance.
“I was coming back from a hamstring injury when we played Burnley at Turf Moor, and I didn’t play my best because I was constantly thinking about my hamstring. It was almost like I had to play the game a different way, because my game is all about driving with the ball.”
Wakefield’s documentary encourages more players to speak out about their mental health, and he says doing so is vital in beating negative thoughts when injured.
“I’ve been that player who is in the physio room every day while the boys go out to train, and it’s a lonely place. Coaches and players don’t really speak to you that much.
“So my advice would be to make sure you’re speaking to other players and don’t let yourself get in a hole because it’s easy to do.”
When he was younger, Wakefield says there were times when he would let his mentality get in the way of his recovery.
“When I was 18, I pulled my hamstring and that night I went out clubbing in London with all the Chelsea boys, more out of disappointment than anything.
“I’m sitting in this club, we had this table, I drank a lot and didn’t move all night. I thought to myself, ‘I’m not drinking out of enjoyment here’.
“I woke up the next morning and felt my hamstring and thought, ‘I’m in a bad way’.”
Wakefield says his mindset has improved for the better, and urges younger players not to entertain a negative mindset, however difficult it may be.
“As a 26 year old, I pulled my hamstring two months ago and then I did a four day fast because I heard it can help heal injuries. So my mentality from 18 to 25 is completely different, and I think it’s important for younger players to make sure their mindset is positive.”
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