Inside the mind: How psychological skills are shaping football’s next generation

In this article, Sports News Blitz’s Ted Purcell kicks off our new series, ‘Inside the Mind,’ exploring the psychological side of sport - from mental resilience and confidence to the unseen habits that help athletes perform under pressure.

Teenagers taking centre stage

In a recent viral clip, Arsenal star Declan Rice revealed that 15-year-old Max Dowman had Facetimed him in his school uniform, joking with the youngster that he had “played in the Premier League like a week ago and then you’re walking back through the school gates.”

Aged just 15 years and 235 days, Dowman became the second-youngest player in Premier League history, making his debut - and winning a penalty - in a 5-0 win over Leeds United.

Dowman is not the only youngster shining this season.

Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha became only the second 16-year-old to score a winning goal in a Premier League game, when he scored a dramatic 100th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory away at Newcastle.

The first? Wayne Rooney, with his thunderous strike for Everton against Arsenal back in 2002. Decent company that.

Looking across to Europe, Barcelona’s superstar Lamine Yamal is another example of a youngster treating the professional game like a kick about in the garden.

At the age of just 16, Yamal played a pivotal role in the Spanish national team’s success at the 2024 Euros.

Not only did he become the youngest player to score and assist a goal at the Euros, but nobody was involved in more Euro 2024 goals - one goal and four assists. Unsurprisingly, he was named Young Player of the Tournament.

This was all achieved whilst balancing his final year of secondary school. As he told Spanish publication AS: “I’ve brought my homework, and I have classes on the web.”

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The new generation of fearless talent

As the great Sir Matt Busby once said: “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.” This next crop of talent, however, is younger, hungrier and more confident than ever.

So, how is it that these players, who aren’t even old enough to drive, look completely unfazed in front of 60,000 screaming fans, playing with a freedom that makes it look like a kick about in the school playground?

One answer may lie in the psychological preparation they do to play on the biggest stage.

Myles Lewis-Skelly and the power of preparation

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly credited his meticulous preparation for the confidence and composure he displays on the pitch.

After just 13 appearances in the Premier League, Lewis-Skelly received his first England call-up, making history by becoming the youngest ever goal scorer to score on their England debut, aged 18 and 176 days. 

Later in the 2024/2025 season, away against Champions League holders Real Madrid, his astonishing confidence was on full display.

In the tunnel at the Bernabeu, he was seen laughing and joking on the phone, completely unfazed by the hostile atmosphere.

From the under-18s to a fully-fledged England international, each time Lewis-Skelly has been asked to step up a level, he has delivered. 

For a sport psychologist, Lewis-Skelly’s preparation is golden, and it is no wonder that he “looks like he’s played 300 games at the Bernabeu”, as TNT commentator Darren Fletcher suggested.

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Journaling for clarity and confidence

First, Lewis-Skelly revealed that he regularly journals - a powerful, yet often overlooked tool in an athlete’s mental arsenal.

From a psychological perspective, journaling can act as a mirror, prompting self-reflection and increased self-awareness.

By regularly documenting your thoughts and feelings, you can begin to notice recurring patterns. For example, you might see that you often ruminate on mistakes or become preoccupied with the scoreline.

Whilst it may be tempting to challenge these negative thoughts, modern sport psychology would emphasise the importance of simply recognising them, and journaling helps to create a space for this to occur.

It's a confidential, judgement-free zone to unburden worries and fears, which in itself helps to alleviate their intensity.

This practice fosters a mindful attitude: the athlete learns to see a thought like "I'm playing terribly" not as a truth that must be fixed, but as a passing mental event that they can acknowledge and let go of, freeing them to refocus on the next action.

Furthermore, it fuels motivation by allowing them to document progress, celebrate milestones, and assess their development with clarity.

Visualisation

Next, Lewis-Skelly opened up about his use of imagery - describing how he uses visualisation and manifestation to prepare before a match.

Imagery is one of the most popular psychological techniques used among athletes, and it is all about using your senses to create an experience in the mind.

For example, smelling the freshly cut grass, hearing the roar of the crowd, and seeing yourself with the ball at your feet. As former young star Wayne Rooney explained:

“You’re trying to put yourself in that moment and trying to prepare yourself, to have a ‘memory’ before the game.

“I don’t know if you’d call it visualising or dreaming, but I’ve always done it, my whole life. When I was younger, I used to visualise myself scoring wonder goals, stuff like that.”

There is a range of literature to support the use of imagery in sport. Not only has research shown that imagery can aid the learning of skills and tactics, but it has also shown that it can improve pre-performance anxiety, confidence, and collective efficacy. 

For any budding athlete, the PETTLEP model offers a useful framework for implementing imagery into their pre-game preparation (see below). It is important to consider how each component will affect your use of imagery.

Mindfulness and staying in the moment

Last but not least, Lewis-Skelly spoke about the importance of being present, or, in sport psychology terms, mindfulness.

In a high-pressure environment, this is the skill of anchoring your attention firmly in the present moment, rather than dwelling on a past mistake or worrying about the future result.

But what does this look like in practice?

It’s not about emptying your mind or forcing relaxation. Instead, it’s a form of non-judgmental awareness.

As experts define it, it is about observing your thoughts and nerves without getting caught up in them or trying to control them. 

This shift from control to acceptance is key. Modern approaches, like the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) model, teach athletes to make room for negative thoughts and still take committed action towards their goals.

For a young player, this is transformative. It is the difference between a missed pass triggering a spiral of frustration and simply acknowledging the error before instantly refocusing on the next action. 

By practicing mindfulness - through breathing exercises or body scans - athletes train their brains to stay task-focused.

This reduces performance anxiety and rumination, allowing their natural talent to flourish under pressure.

It’s the mental foundation that enables them to treat a cup final like a playground kickabout.

Calm minds under pressure

So, how do these players, who aren’t even old enough to drive, look completely unfazed in front of 60,000 screaming fans, playing with a freedom that makes it look like a kickabout in the school playground?

The answer lies not just in their incredible technical abilities but in their mentalities.

Through deliberate psychological preparation and mental skills training, the next generation of stars is better equipped than ever to make the transition from academy to first-team football.

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