Throughout his playing career, Vinnie Jones became synonymous with hard-hitting tackles, a no-nonsense attitude and the typical “tough man” personality.
However, at present, the only battle the former Chelsea and Wimbledon midfielder is looking to win is that of mental health.
Having made the transition from the field to the big screen, and having participated in film projects such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and The Gentlemen, Jones has become familiar with the eventual burdens associated with success.
Speaking exclusively with sport mailexplained: ‘When you first start, you know, it’s quite nice because there’s no pressure or expectations.
“And it’s the same as when players start playing, you know, like when Rooney started. There are no expectations on them.
Vinnie Jones has opened up about his battles with mental health as part of a new campaign.
The Wimbledon and Chelsea legend sat down to discuss the burdens players can face
Jones was known as the “tough man” of football, but has since adopted a new outlook on life.
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“But I told someone yesterday, you know, we build them right away and therefore there’s only one way they can function most of the time: which is to fall down.” Know?
“And the same goes for football fans, it’s not just about footballers, make no mistake.” We have people who go to watch the games and who have as many struggles in life as these professional soccer players.
‘Some professional footballers earn £200,000 a week and there may be people with the same problems on £200 a week. The problem remains the same.’
Having made over 500 appearances throughout his playing career, Jones never shied away from the spotlight, which explains why he later moved into acting.
However, even he admits that today’s footballer faces challenges to which he was never accustomed and, therefore, encourages players and fans to speak out more.
Jones continued: “These young footballers are rock stars today. When children and adults go to see a football game today, it is like going to see a concert.
‘Whether it’s Queen, The Who or Madonna, or whoever, when they go to a game on a Saturday, that’s their release. That’s their happy time, you know, and these guys are rock stars now! So I think clubs are doing a lot more now.
‘In my time, this type of advice did not exist. You know, we took care of everything when we were young and alone. We do not talk.
Jones argued that modern footballers, such as Jude Bellingham, have become something of a “rock star”.
Jones offered advice to four Chelsea players as part of a campaign with the Samaritans
‘Fash (John Fashanu) was my roommate and we never talked about things, we kept it bottled up, you know. So I think it’s great that Tyson Fury and I are leading the way in telling guys, ‘You know, real men can talk about things.’
While Jones may have avoided talking about his own experiences in the past, these days, the 59-year-old admits he’s come a long way in his own mental health journey.
‘I left 11 years ago to go see someone. I paid a professor in Los Angeles to chat with me; I did it on my own.
“So I think in the workplace, for fans and supporters, as well as in football clubs, there should be people they can turn to. They are in prisons!
“I had to go talk to a psychologist and it was like throwing a big canvas bag on my back.”
Jones admitted that his drinking habits made him “feel numb” throughout his playing career.
Delving into what prompted him to talk to a professional, Jones said, “The drinking was really bothering me. Why was he drinking like that? Because he actually wasn’t a drinker when he was a kid.
‘I entered that cult status in the ’90s, you know? It was just a year after I left Chelsea, they brought in some Italians and all that and (Dennis) Wisey said to me: “You can’t believe the difference in cultures.”
Wisey and I ran the Chelsea players’ lounge and they closed it down within a year! The Italians thought it was crazy.
But I think for us that was a way to numb everything. Everything was numb.’
Three is encouraging football fans across the country to share Vinnie’s ‘team talk’ on their social and support networks. To find out more about #TalkMoreThanFootball and watch the full Vinnie team talk, visit Three’s social channels: @ThreeUK on Instagram, @ThreeUK on X, @ThreeUK on TikTok or Three UK on YouTube.