Discussing the mental side of the game with Wolves midfielder Marshall Munetsi, who explains how his faith and background has kept him humble after becoming a Premier League footballer.
Mentally preparing for a game…
“For me, as a Christian, before everything I do, I always pray. All of my motivation and my confidence comes from God. Even when we win, for me, it’s always about me giving grace to him, and even if we lose, it’s the same. When we read the bible, we know that our lives have already been led by other people. They have already been there and have done what we’ve done, so it’s about getting the courage and the mental strength from my religion.”
Beginning match preparations…
“When I was younger, I was always told, ‘You are only as good as your next game’. As soon as you win or as soon as you lose, I’m already thinking about the next game, no matter what the result was. No matter if you had a good game or a bad game, you are always thinking about the next game because in football, everything can turn so fast. You can be a bad player in one game and then be a good player in the next, so I think it’s all about being humble while also trying to achieve greater things.”
Recovering from setbacks…
“I’m a religious person, so the only thing I can do is pray. Also, the people who are surrounding you, they will always give you courage. You have to rely more on your family and your friends when things are bad, and I think when things are good, people will always be around you. The most important thing is to make sure you are surrounded by the right people. Good people will give you the motivation, the confidence and the focus and drive that you need. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
Staying level-headed after positives…
“For me, my background is what keeps me humble. I know where I’ve come from, so nothing else gets me high. I’ve always tried to live my life in the humblest and simplest way because tomorrow is never promised or guaranteed. Having people around you who also remind you of where you’re coming from and where you want to go, is the most important thing in life.”
Cutting off afterwards…
“Before, I used to think a lot about the matches, but now I have kids and a family. As soon as I leave the changing room, I’m a different person because I have responsibilities as a father. Of course, there are games that can stay in your head, but as soon as you go home you want to give a good face and give positive vibes when you’re with your family, so as soon as the game is finished I try to change as soon as possible to forget about what happened and focus on other things that are more important in life than just being a football player.”
What has changed…
“A lot goes on in football and you grow up as a person and as an individual, both mentally and physically. With each step that you take, there are always challenges, but those challenges give you a different perspective of how you want to achieve certain things in life. I’ve really grown a lot and with experience you will handle wins and losses more differently, and better, because you know that tomorrow is another day and you live to learn again. There’s always ups and downs, but with time, age and experience, it’s given me much more understanding about the environment that I’m in and what football brings to the table with the criticism and also the applause. You need to know how to manage both, knowing that each individual game is going to be different.”
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2024/25 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
