Juventus goalkeeper Perin was interviewed at the "Social Football Summit" held at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. He talked about his mental journey during the previous serious injury.

About the mental training you received

I realize that the mental aspect is not only important in sports, but especially in daily life. I met mental health coach Nicoletta Romanazzi under the introduction of my agent; I was going through a very difficult period at the time. After continuous injuries, I considered retiring and no longer felt the joy of playing football.

My agent told me that he supported my decision, but first gave myself a chance to talk to a mental health coach. From that day on, I began a journey, a path. I learned to know myself, I know what I need, and I know how to find balance. Nicoletta always finds that key key that allows me to be the best I can be in my sport and in life.

Injuries, Frustrations and Emotional Management

What really allows us to achieve our goals is our determination in self-cultivation. During times of injury, when I felt like I should be playing but was benched, it became crucial to find balance and accept those seemingly negative emotions. I learned that all emotions can bring us positive things as long as we keep the balance. I incorporate these experiences into my children's lives little by little, and seeing them grow makes me extremely proud. Every time I made a mistake in the past, in order not to think about it, I would watch documentaries for hours on end - anything from Egyptian civilization to art history. Now I accept the error, analyze it, and look for solutions.

Social media and external evaluation

I am my own harshest critic and my most loyal fan. When you know yourself so well, any criticism is just feedback. I know when I'm playing great football and when I'm making mistakes. I used to post photos when I played well, but not when I made mistakes; then I realized that comments could no longer hurt me, and this gave me freedom - I got rid of all external constraints. I often tell young players: You have to go through a process; this is how I earned my freedom.

Communication, Empathy and Generational Differences

Language is magic. One of the biggest problems in modern society is that we have lost empathy and have fewer and fewer conversations; unsaid words create friction and then estrangement. The same goes for the locker room, where the level of humanity between people has dropped significantly. When I first debuted, some of my teammates were born in 1974-76, but now they are born in 2005-06. There is a huge gap.

It’s hard to find time to have a cup of coffee together these days; we’re losing dialogue and empathy with each other. Juventus has assigned us excellent psychology experts, and the youth team also has a psychologist on site.

Message to young people

You can be hungry to win, but don’t lose the desire to think from others’ perspective. Cultivate as many interests as possible and never stand still. The key is to not stop and take action. As long as we are willing to move forward, we will eventually be rewarded. Goals are just the cherry on the cake, the real trophy is the change in the process itself.