West Ham’s Tomas Soucek revealed in his autobiography ‘Suk’ that he considered retirement due to struggles with insomnia and depression, impacting his performance and mental state.
West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek has publicly shared his severe, two-year struggle with mental health issues, admitting he reached a point where he considered retiring from professional football.
According to a report from The Mirror, the Czech Republic national team captain, aged 30, detailed his fight against insomnia and depression in excerpts published from his new autobiography, ‘Suk’.
Soucek, who recently netted in the Hammers’ 3-2 victory over Burnley, revealed the mental battle began to escalate approximately two years ago.
The midfielder admitted he was consumed by anxiety, stating: “Two years of horror. I was ashamed to talk about it for a long time.
Even my parents, until I decided to write my confession, had no idea that something bad was happening. Something that bothered me so much that I thought about ending my career.”
He described the profound impact on his matchday preparation: “I was at the bottom, I would run into every match without sleep. Every match! Can you imagine? I was afraid of failure, I was afraid of reactions, I was afraid of everything.”
Soucek contrasted this internal struggle with his on-field toughness: “I can’t count the scars on my body, I finish matches with my head bandaged, but this hurt my soul.”
He added that his distinctive helicopter goal celebration was inspired by the desire to feel free and escape his private fight.
“And that’s why the helicopter was created, my goal celebration. I start to spin slightly and enjoy the feeling of taking off.”
Soucek, who joined West Ham in 2020 and recently made his 250th appearance for the club, has now opened up on the issue to provide an insight into the unseen challenges faced by top-level athletes.