Life After Football: Martin Meichelbeck - "I work with professionals who are dealing with heavy criticism"
Martin Meichelbeck was a mainstay in Bochum's defence for several years after the turn of the century, but after hanging up his boots the now 48-year-old works as a sports psychologist focusing on how professional football can better address mental health issues.
bundesliga.com: You’re head of the sports medicine/prevention division of a chain of hospitals and also have your own practice for psychological counselling and sports psychology. Can you tell us about that?
Martin Meichelbeck: "I realised very early on that football would only define a limited part of my life. When I received my first professional contract at 21, I began studying at the same time.
"I did this with a view to my time after my football career, but also as a mental break. I was a footballer for 12 years and I studied for 12 years. For me, there was no question that I wanted to lay the foundation for my future while I was still playing."
bundesliga.com: Did your colleagues see it that way too?
Meichelbeck: "I can't really judge that. Besides, it's a very individual decision. What you do and how you do it depends on your own interests, and certainly also on your intellect.
Us footballers find ourselves in a special situation. There's no real economic need for further education; compared to the rest of the population, you earn very well, even if back then I only earned a fraction of what's possible today."
Watch: All of Meichelbeck's Bundesliga goals
bundesliga.com: Did you ever have the opportunity to sign a really lucrative contract?
Meichelbeck: "I had two or three offers to move to Aston Villa in the Premier League but I decided against it each time as I felt comfortable in Bochum, both professionally and personally.
"Today, I would probably take the plunge, even if only for the experience and to improve my English skills. But I'm proud to have played a part in the most successful period in Bochum's history [a fifth-placed finish in the 2003/04 season, qualifying for the UEFA Cup]."
bundesliga.com: Your coach at the time was Peter Neururer, a man who is said to have a particularly good understanding of people.
Meichelbeck: "That's absolutely true. I got to know Peter Neururer as a very intelligent coach with great strengths in leadership and communication. He was always somewhat underestimated throughout his career, but he was a very good coach and a wonderful fit for Bochum."
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bundesliga.com: Which brings us to your second career as a sports psychologist.
Meichelbeck: "I hung up my boots at Greuther Fürth in 2010, and by the following season I was already working as a sports psychology coach. The then president, Helmut Hack, had a profound influence on me during that time and became a mentor – especially in terms of business and organisation.
"I held several positions under him, most recently as a member of the management team. The 10 years I spent as head of medicine, as a sports scientist and as a sports psychologist in Fürth were truly exciting in every respect, and I was able to develop well as a leader."
bundesliga.com: In 2020 you moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach, where your job title was 'Head of Medicine and Prevention'. What exactly was your role there?
Meichelbeck: "Ultimately, it involved providing psychological and medical support to players and coaches, managing the medical and sports science staff, and expanding existing structures. The goal, simply put, eas mental and physical stability, health, and optimisation.
"I stayed in Mönchengladbach for four years until we parted ways. The question arose as to whether I wanted to stay in football. I had various inquiries from the top two divisions, but then I was offered the opportunity to head up the 'Sports Medicine and Prevention' division of the Knappschaft Clinics.
"It was a new challenge, and it also allowed me to put my plan for self-employment into action, which involves opening a practice for psychological counseling, supervision, sports psychology, and personal training.
"I'm at the clinic three days a week and in my practice the rest of the week. 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."
bundesliga.com: You played in the Bundesliga at a time when psychological support was still a foreign concept for many clubs. How did you experience that back then?
Meichelbeck: "When I finished my psychology studies in 2010, I was pretty sure that it would be the future of competitive sports. When physical resources are exhausted, the only thing left to work on is the psyche.
"But this topic still doesn't receive as much attention as I believe it should. Sports psychology support is offered universally at youth performance centers, but it's only partially established among the professionals. I estimate that only a quarter of all first- and second-division teams employ sports psychologists."
bundesliga.com: How is that possible in a world where self-optimisation is part of everyday life?
Meichelbeck: "It's partly due to a couple of bad experiences. For example, with mental coaches who weren't competent enough and thus brought serious sports psychology into disrepute.
"Football still needs a lot of educational work. In addition, psychology focuses on soft factors, while professional football remains strictly results-oriented. Psychological support that is firmly embedded in the work of the club can contribute to success in the long term."
bundesliga.com: What core issues does a sports psychologist actually deal with when working at a Bundesliga club?
Meichelbeck: "It bothers me that the public perception of psychology is primarily about working on perceived weaknesses: dealing with anxiety, compensating for pressure to perform, etc. That's an essential part, but in competitive sports, it's much more about activating and expanding psychological resources.
"For example, a rather introverted central defender is told by his coach to communicate more with his teammates, but he regularly fails. A psychologist can help him overcome his own limitations and become an even better player."
bundesliga.com: But isn’t dealing with pressure and anxiety part of a professional’s everyday life?
Meichelbeck: "Yes, of course. A relegation battle is one of the biggest psychological issues in football. Especially when it comes to the discrepancy between public perception and one's own feelings.
"When things are going badly, fans and the media often think that players don't want it, that they're not trying. But I can say from my own experience that every footballer wants to avoid defeats and relegation [Meichelbeck was relegated twice with Bochum].
"But in extreme situations, the fear of making mistakes is so great that it can paralyse even an experienced athlete. There are so many factors when it comes to success in football. In the digital age, where sports are so focused on rigid topics 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, as they demonstrate great strengths in building relationships with their players."
bundesliga.com: What makes a good coach at this level?
Meichelbeck: "A blanket answer is difficult as the squads are too diverse. Language, intellect, personality, background - every team is different. If a coach manages to build an individual bond with each player in such a team while simultaneously aligning a fixed framework with the club's philosophy, the outcome is usually successful.
"A good coach works with his players' resources, he sees the strengths, not the deficits, and then asks the right questions. What does the player need to perform optimally? Which role in my system suits him? How should I lead him?"
bundesliga.com: Footballers are also just people, but they practice a very specific profession. How does a former footballer and psychologist assess this type of person?
Meichelbeck: "There are two important components in football players. First, their generally high sensitivity, and second, the fact that they often have a narcissistic personality. This has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, they are very ambitious and success-oriented; on the other, their own needs and self-absorption often take priority.
"This can often be observed in their outward appearance: their tattoos, their hairstyles, their fashion, their social media presence. Their pronounced image-consciousness is unmistakable."
bundesliga.com: And what is the best way to deal with these personalities?
Meichelbeck:"As a coaching team, it's important to build a constructive relationship with the players, and that takes time. The key element for a professional footballer, and also for sports psychologists, is self-confidence: the inner conviction that one's abilities can be utilised effectively."
bundesliga.com: You mentioned social media. What role does it play in self-confidence?
Meichelbeck:"Instagram and other platforms have turned players into transparent professionals. Anyone who engages in this game offers a large canvas for all their emotions.
"The downsides are obvious. I regularly work with professionals who are suffering from a shitstorm and are trying to cope with it. Focusing on negative external evaluation can negatively impact one's self-esteem, and this is something that needs to be addressed."
bundesliga.com: Is football so popular and fascinating for many people because the psyche plays a role in this game in so many different ways?
Meichelbeck: "Absolutely. There are 22 individuals, each with their own personality, each with their own charisma. Plus everything that goes with it: the many emotions, fans, media, staff, sponsors – that's what keeps football so captivating and exciting for me."
bundesliga.com: You say that there's still a lot of potential to be unlocked in terms of mental strength. Is there an ideal player in the Bundesliga in this regard?
Meichelbeck:"For me, Joshua Kimmich - although I don't know him personally - seems to be the epitome of a mentally stable footballer. He plays at least 60 games every year, delivers consistently, is very ambitious, and always wants to improve. He's also a fantastic midfielder. I was never been able to understand the discussions surrounding him last season."
bundesliga.com: One year before your career ended, Robert Enke took his own life in 2009. How present are such extreme psychological situations in your work?
Meichelbeck: "A mental illness and subsequent suicide are the worst things that can happen. My work in mental health is primarily about prevention. Therefore, it's important for clubs to take the needs and problems of players, coaches, and staff seriously.
"Although I have to say, mental illnesses are comparatively less common in professional football than in the general population partly because the support is simply better and more comprehensive.
"It's also crucial to not only keep an eye on the players themselves, but also to know what's going on in their environment. If a footballer's partner or father suffers from a mental illness, this also places an enormous strain on the player. It would be great if we were all more sensitive, but the professional football system is primarily about performance and success.
"This makes it all the more important that managers, coaches, and players themselves take preventative measures and develop strategies when it comes to their mental health and stability."
bundesliga.com: When you started your new job 15 years ago, you assumed that psychology would be one of the future issues in sports. What does it look like today? What can we expect in this field in the coming years?
Meichelbeck:"In the age of digitalisation and globalisation, it will be all about calming your own nervous system and not becoming too dependent on external circumstances. It will therefore be all the more crucial to create safe zones within clubs where players, coaches, and staff can move around.
"A good dressing room was important back then and is even more so today. On the pitch, it will be about being able to use our brain resources even more effectively for our own game: speed of action, peripheral perception, rapid regulation. I don't think players will be able to run any faster or shoot any harder. But on a mental level, a lot is still possible."
Interview: Alex Raack
Also in Life After Football:
- Markus Babbel: "I was dancing on the table with Lothar Matthäus"
- Uli Borowka: "I will be fighting addiction my whole life"
- Frank Rost: "Working with horses teaches you a lot about yourself"
- Jimmy Hartwig: "My theatre work began totally by coincidence"
- Tobias Rau: "You're not judged on money or status in teaching"
- Richard Golz: "You have to take time to be able to judge a person"
- Marco Russ: "An accident probably saved my life"
- Neven Subotić: "I asked myself why this world is so unfair"
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