Former Manchester City star, Michael Johnson, who was once tipped to be the next big thing in English football has become an estate agent after he quit football at just 24.
Johnson made a big impression on the City team in 2006 with a string of outstanding goals and assists. But self-doubt and injury forced him to abandon the beautiful game.
His ex-teammate at City, Didi Hamann praised him as a “exceptional” midfield player who reminded him of German icon, Michael Ballack. And former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson thought he would become “next big star for England.”
According to Daily Star, at the age of 36, Johnson has come clean about his battles with mental and physical health problems. Admitting that it was a “relief” to give up football in favor of his new job in real estate and automobile sales.
In a 2020 interview with The Athletic, Johnson courageously discussed his “self-esteem” issues and the reasons he gave left his promising career at City.
What Did Johnson Say About His Football Career?
“My issue was always self-esteem. I just felt really low in myself. I didn’t ever feel I was as good as the kids next to me,” Johnson said.
“I’m not talking football-wise. I knew I was good at football. I’m talking about how I felt as a person. I used to think, ‘You’re not like those lads there. You can’t be their friend’. You look at yourself in the mirror and you feel like it’s someone else looking back at you.”
“It’s well known that you can get those natural endorphins by playing and exercising, but, especially after I had surgery on my knee, I wasn’t getting that release either.
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“I thought it was going to give me all this confidence, being a footballer. It should have done. I had put all my worth on achieving in football.
But it sort of had the opposite effect on me. I was thinking, ‘Why the hell do I feel like this?’ And it’s not just that I wasn’t feeling better about myself. I was feeling worse than before. Suddenly, I didn’t have that hope of getting better.”
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