“The lows were becoming lower and the highs were fewer and further between. The only thing that counts on the pitch is performance. Weakness and vulnerability must not exist at any time“, the words engraved in a forgotten DW post, from 2020. They belong to a 29 years old, André Schürrle, who recognizes that top football is not for him anymore. Maybe random thoughts, if he wouldn’t have been in the former shoes of a world champion alongside Germany national football team, in 2014. Maybe the highest sports title one can held. Yet, André Schürrle concluded in 2020, at not even 30 years, that his form is no more fit to continue. His mental form, on top of everything. It is not something new, the topic was sealed by the books, but something leaked from this decision and took a different shape. A shape which make things spiraling in an interesting direction.

André Schürrle at “Last Soul Ultra”

I wrote about the mental state, that André Schürrle could not cope with his mind, so he gave up football. Yet he find new challenges, and maybe some of you saw his barefoot running, ice cold baths, participated at the Berlin Marathon or even that he got an UTMB profile, since participating in some signature events. Some know, but most don’t. Even few know that Schürrle participate in a backyard ultra style race, “Last Soul Ultra”. In short, you need to complete a 6.7 kilometer loop in one hour. Over, and over again. Schürrle did 12 laps, 80 kilometers. 12 hours. This is not a type of running I favor in any way, but we need to understand what kind of mental you need to do it. At first, going 6.7 kilometer in one hour is not a problem for almost anybody. Not even 2, 3, 4… or? But it somehow grinds your mind.

So then, what is harder from a metal perspective?

Again, I haven’t run this type of races, and I am not sure I ever will, but I did ran loop races, and they can be a pain in the ass. Now I am thinking of what kind of connections changed in Schürrle’s brain, to cope mental with this, when he couldn’t cope anymore in football. Truth being said, time passes, things change, and it is also true that when you are just another runner, who wants to gather just some experience from such an activity it is a very different pattern of a professional footballer needing to delivery from his height of former World Cup winner. Or, as Ronaldinho would have say 20 years ago: “Once you become world champion, that never changes!” He is right, Schürrle knows this for sure.

Usain Bolt, the other way around

It is just interesting how diverse approaches can one’s brain have, and how can a mental saturation be replaced by a pure mental thirst for something which, for most football players, seems much harder than playing football. In some regards this can be true, but not if you are a former top performer. And in those shoes, too few were registered during times. Maybe this would be exactly as if Jim Walmsley would start playing football. Or yet, even a better and more accurate comparison, like Usain Bolt actually playing his first football match for Strømsgodset. The only thing is that, I am certain that André Schürrle behaved better at Chianti Ultra, in Italy, comparing to Bolt on the football field. 

Cover photo: Facebook