This week, my MBA class and I presented our papers as if they were films. When my turn came, I spoke about Carlo Ancelottiβs leadership at Real Madrid (Story for another day) a topic I thought might stir tears in me. But then Maria stood up and shared her work: The Silent Struggles of Elite Athletes: An MBA Case Study on Jermain Defoeβs Journey Through Mental Health, Trust, and Resilience.
Boy did I not lose it, that one shook me. So I had to go further.
She mentioned thereβs a short film on Apple TV about it, and I dived straight in that night.What I found has sat heavy on my mind.
Defoeβs story is not just about goals and glory. Itβs about trust gained and lost. Itβs about the painful bond with an alcoholic father who later died of cancer. Itβs about the weight of family, fans, and the game itself. Itβs about Bradley Lowery, a six-year-old with neuroblastoma, who became his closest friend and, in his own words, βthe highlight of his season.β
Itβs about personal heartbreak, like discovering his girlfriendβs pregnancy wasnβt his, just months after losing his father, yet still rising to become the 20th player to score a century of Premier League goals. Itβs about grief, when his brother was killed after a brutal assault in London. Itβs about the complicated dance between coaches, players, fans, and the media.
And yet, through all this, he kept scoring. He kept showing up. He kept fighting.
Today, Jermain Defoe is carving a new path as one of the few Black managers in British professional football, heβs the bead coach of the Tottenhamβs U18s. But behind the numbers, behind the accolades, is a man whose true battles were fought far from the pitch.
Because the biggest game in football isnβt always played under the floodlights. Itβs played in silence, when the stadium empties, and itβs just YOU and YOUR mind.
I have a new hero, Jermain Defoe. OBE.