Athletes need to show vulnerability around mental health issues, Bellingham says

Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham has urged fellow elite athletes to open up about mental health issues and limit their exposure to harmful social media abuse.

The 22-year-old was left out of the England squad this week, leading to the inevitable avalanche of opinions about him on traditional and social media platforms.

Bellingham said during his speech as Laureus ambassador on World Mental Health Day that he once checked his phone to read what people were saying about him on social media, but now largely ignores that.

“As a young player at Birmingham (City), I put my name on Twitter and read everything. But even if the reactions were positive, I quickly decided: why should I let the opinions of people who don’t know me validate how I feel about myself?” he said.

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«I believed I was a good player before I read it on Twitter, so what was the point of hearing other people say this? If I came across negative comments, of course it would have the opposite effect. So again, I asked myself: why am I putting that on my own mental health?»

«There’s enough negativity and pressure in professional sports that you don’t have to look for it. When I read negative comments it doesn’t affect me – but I still prefer not to see them.»

Bellingham said social media is an important tool in becoming more relatable to the public, but also believes there is a «shut up and take it» attitude when it comes to online hate.

“With the development of social media, there are more ways to attack someone, to make them feel down, and I think there is still a stigma around talking about mental health,” he said.

«I know there have been times when I’ve felt vulnerable, doubted myself, and needed someone to talk to. Instead, I’ve tried to uphold the macho athlete image of, ‘I don’t need anyone.’ The truth is, I need that — everyone does. And you’ll feel a lot better if you talk about your feelings and emotions.»

“As athletes, it seems like we have the world at our feet – we can do whatever we want, make so much money and never be affected by it. But the reality is that if we can show vulnerability, it opens up a bigger conversation for people struggling in the darkness.”

Published on October 10, 2025