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This summer there will be several Ballon d’Or nominated players making their first ever appearance at a World Cup.
Joao Neves is one such talent, traveling to Portugal’s training base in Florida a mere week after helping PSG secure a second consecutive Champions League triumph.
Though just 21 years of age, the midfielder has already amassed a wealth of experience, competing in a Nations League final with his country and a Club World Cup final for Les Parisiens. He has won the league in two different countries and, at the risk of repeat, there are those brace of Champions League finals to consider, both watched by a global TV audience exceeding 50 million.
Almost all of the above also applies to Désiré Doué, another World Cup debutant this summer. The French forward turned 21 this week but has already experienced more seismic moments – both good and bad - than many sportspeople encounter across a while career. All of it while freeing himself of enormous expectation. Suffocating pressure.
Then there’s Germany’s Florian Wirtz, who would have a World Cup under his belt by now if not for an ACL injury downing him in 2022. And, of course, Lamine Yamal. How could we forget Lamine Yamal?
Last year’s Kopa Trophy winner – and runner-up for the Ballon d’Or – became the youngest player to ever participate in the Euros in 2024, and subsequently proved himself a teenage sensation, writing his substantial talent large across the continent’s sky.
His wonderful goal against France in the semi-final will live long in the memory.
This quartet of elite fare have successfully navigated every challenge put in front of them to date. They have the necessary ego to back themselves in the most intense circumstances imaginable and the rare ability to justify their self-assurance.
Moreover, from a young age they have been well schooled in sports psychology, building up a mental resilience to pressure and learning to problem-solve under extreme demands in-game.
They focus on the controllables. Focus on their breathing. Positive self-talk is second nature to them.
These skillsets will serve these World Cup debutants well this summer but, all the same, what awaits them is something unfamiliar, something new.
Everything goes up several notches.
Tiers of Pressure: Encouraged to embrace it
For the vast majority of the players heading to the World Cup this summer a consoling caveat accompanies their nerves. That is the knowledge that their individual performance in isolation matters little compared to the result itself.
If a full-back for Portugal or Spain has a shocker but the Seleção das Quinas or La Roja prevail the only negatives they can expect is the possibility of being dropped for the next game and a low rating in a national newspaper.
Neves, Doué, Wirtz and Yamal don’t have that luxury. They are their team’s superstars. The difference-makers. It primarily falls on them to get the result in the first place and even if that is achieved without their input they won’t be spared of criticism.
A nation of millions will tut and fret. Pundits will closely analyse their poor decision-making and a bad touch made in the 33rd minute. Such a level of scrutiny derives from high expectation that in turn produces a tier of pressure that no man away from a battlefield should be asked to bear.
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It is therefore somewhat surprising to learn that there are only a few changes made in their mental preparation going into a World Cup as would be the case prior to a Champions League final. Or perhaps, this shouldn’t surprise at all.
After all, it would be distinctly odd to discover there is a special World Cup box of tricks for each player to open at the training compound.
Still, as stated, there are certain approaches undertaken unique to their situation.
Away from an invaluable support network of family and friends, these young superstars will be urged to keep a diary, to heighten their awareness of feelings, and put them down on paper rather than have them swirling around their heads.
They will also be cocooned in a safe environment, that values fun and levity. More on that soon.
From a psychological perspective it is also pertinent that the four Ballon d’Or nominees will be emboldened to embrace the expectation placed upon them, rather than shy from it.
Dr Paul McCarthy is a highly respected sports psychologist, and he details the processes deployed to ensure the hopes of nations do not weigh heavy on slender shoulders.
“There will be work towards orientating them to see these motivated contexts as an opportunity for challenge. They tend to respond to that in a motivated, confident way.”
“Whereas if they see it as a threat, not only do they try to avoid in some ways the challenges that come with it, but we know that physiologically in their body it is much more difficult for them to cope with the stresses that come with the competition.”
Creature comforts and primed to perform
For every major nation, the search for the perfect base is a long and arduous one that begins many months before qualification has even been secured. Locating the right hotel. Putting in place the best facilities.
There are a multitude of decisions to make, ranging from where to construct a patio – so the players can play uno and drink coffee, away from prying eyes – to which room should have a juice bar installed. That’s before we get to the hyperbaric chambers and sweat tents.
Closer to the tournament conversations will be had regarding squad activities. Quizzes. Game nights. Table tennis tournaments. A pool table is a must, as too, naturally, a private swimming pool.
Players meanwhile are encouraged to stay away from social media while access to them is strongly suppressed save for media days and pre-arranged interviews.
All of this is designed to make base camp feel like a home from home. All of this is designed to keep out external noise.
The aim is for each World Cup star to make the headlines, not read them.
This summer, in salubrious areas of Boston, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida, a quartet of phenomenally gifted talent will be protected and prepped, primed with the best psychological support available.
The rest is up to them.
