159 Jan Rosenthal:How does a career in elite sport impact on well-being?
It is not often that we get to talk to an elite sportsperson (Tanni Grey Thompson excepted) but Jan Rosenthal, midfield giant from the German League talks about his life on the field, the culture enveloping elite and yound players and the challenges of an empty life after retirement or career failure. Jan talks about his own work in helping players and others in making these adjustments. Jan is also notable for being a rare example of an outfield player in a major league, saving a penalty. He didn't even boast about this when I mentioned Wolfsburg in the convesation. https://gfycat.com/plaintiverawjoey-goalkeeperhighlights Today’s guest is Jan Rosenthal who is a former professional football player and has played for German First League Clubs like Hannover 96, SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt.He’s now 37 years old and lives with two kids with the age of 4 and 6 in Oldenburg, Northern Germany.Jan was described by Jonathan Harding as being “ahead of your time’. He writes “The youngster who swapped the German countryside for Hannover’s academy was one of Germany’s rising stars but his love for the game wained the longer he was in it.Football demanded so much of him that there was little room for anything else. And he previously said of hisr footballing career: “Every day you’re physically in the fight or flight mechanism. So much happens unconsciously that there’s no space to find a way through,” Today, Jan is trying to work with individuals and clubs to make sure players have the space and time during their career that he never had in order to deal with feelings that impact both their lives and performance.