One of the world’s most decorated goalkeepers has got a few things to get off his chest.
It’s likely you’ll be surprises by what Victor Valdes has to say.
The FC Barcelona ‘keeper, who has won three UEFA Champions League crowns, six La Liga titles, a World Cup with Spain and numerous other individual accolades, has admitted to not enjoying being a ‘keeper for most of his career.
In a self-help book the 32-year-old Spanish ‘keeper has just published, he reveals that and more as his career is very much in transition.
Valdes will be out of contract this summer at Barcelona after failing to agree a new deal and just last month he suffered a season-ending ACL injury which puts his future destination in serious doubt. Valdes had reportedly lined up a move to AS Monaco but plenty of others rumors have him heading elsewhere.
The guys over at Soccerly take up the story, as Valdes has published his eight step guide to overcoming your fears and reaching your potential. Cheers for the tips, Victor.However, as he reveals in his new book, '#MÉTODOV’ [#THEVMETHOD], as a kid he hated playing in goal and used to dread upcoming matches, feeling afraid to make mistakes and not enjoying his football: “I saw that when a teammate used to score, everyone went and celebrated with him, but if I let one in, everyone would criticize me. I wasn’t happy. For 12 years I didn’t like what I did - I hated it”, he recounts.
“I was the typical kid that people could see wasn’t happy from a mile off. I never laughed or had fun playing football”, he admits. However, Víctor’s father and older brother saw that he had talent and forced him to persevere.
Though he nearly quit on several occasions, he eventually overcame his anxiety to establish himself in the Barça first team, where he has been part of the most glorious period in the club’s history alongside Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. Written entirely by Valdés, his new book offers readers a simple eight-step method to overcome pressure and reach your life goals. These steps are based on the goalkeeper’s own experiences, which helped him to face his fears and become what he is today.Follow @JPW_NBCSports