He Ex-footballer and coach Ibai Gómez has gone through ‘The Game Inside’, MARCA’s mental and emotional well-being video podcastand has left one of the most powerful reflections that have been heard in this space: “If the player thinks well, he is faster, jumps more and is more precise. When we talk about confidence, we talk about thinking well.”. The Basque, who has trained Arenas de Getxo, to the Dominican Republic under 23 team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and more recently to Andorra in the Second Division, he defends that mental work It is not a complement but the center of everything: “The mental issue is the most important, without a doubt.” And it goes further: “Happiness is not external, no matter how much we believe it is. Happiness is within, and to find it you have to know yourself“.
Gómez has also spoken without reservation about his friend Marcos Llorente, with whom he coincided Alavés: “It changed my life on all levels. In his adolescence he deprived himself of things that I don’t know anyone who has done. No one has given Marcos anything.“. And about ego, another of the episode’s themes, he is just as direct: “I put ego aside a long time ago. The excessive ego kills you“.
In terms of current events, Ibai Gómez has revealed the details of his visit to three of the Premier League’s most in-form clubs: Aston Villa, Arsenal y Bournemouth. Of the Arsenal of Artetaone word: “It was NASA. A spectacular work group, very prepared people.” Emeryspeaks of emotional contagion: “From his passion and his energy, he is a leader who infects the staff and the players.” and of foreverhighlights the ability to perform “from simplicity, with much less work group.” His conclusion: “There are three totally different ways of working and all three successful. There is no exact formula for success“.
About him Athletic Club and the arrival of Terzic He also said: “I am sorry that Ernesto Valverde “If he leaves, he is an absolute example of what Athletic and its culture are.” Although he believes that the change can be positive: “Whoever comes will fall in love with the culture of Athletic, as happened to Bielsa“. And about Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid He has been equally clear: “What he did in Leverkusen is of a very high level. It is a shame that Real Madrid did not take advantage of a coach like that.”
As to your next project, He is clear about what he is looking for: a club with a social mass, competitive culture and demands. “The team he takes is going to have a clear identity. If we can make a demanding social mass feel identified with the team, that makes it unstoppable.” A conversation that goes far beyond football.
Your sports and well-being podcast
The game insidethe video podcast on mental and emotional well-being in sports, is now available on the main podcast platforms (Spotify, Ivoox, Apple Podcast, Omny…) and also on MARCA.com and Radio MARCA. Subscribe for free on your usual platform so you don’t miss any episode.
It maintains a biweekly periodicity, with new episodes every two weeks in which dathletes, former athletes, psychologists and performance experts They share their experience on mindset, emotional management, pressure, leadership and personal growth. An interesting proposal to delve deeper into how the athlete’s mind works and what is really behind performance.
