Premier League star ‘considered retirement’ during brave mental health struggles

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek has shown admirable strength to open up on his fight against insomnia and depression during his new autobiography ‘Suk’

West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek has bravely opened up on his mental health struggles – admitting he even considered retiring from football.

The Czech Republic national team captain, 30, has been battling insomnia and depression in silence during his time at the London Stadium. Soucek, who netted in the Hammers’ 3-2 win over Burnley last weekend, admits the issue began to snowball around two years ago when he would head into “every match” without sleep.

He said in an excerpt published in his new autobiograph ‘Suk’: “Do you know what the whoop bracelet can do? If not, nothing is happening, I had no idea at first either. When I bought it in the fall of 2023, I had to get some advice.

“A fairly ordinary black collar that I don’t take off my left wrist measures my heart rate and sleep quality.

“You might be thinking: ‘Another smartphone contraption so you have to buy something that you’ll put aside in a week because you realise you don’t need it.’

“Well, for whom? You look at the apps on your phone and you can tell by the curve when a person is overloaded, if they could add more during training, what kind of team they have. And most importantly, sleep! I didn’t know where to go anymore.

“Two years of horror. I was ashamed to talk about it for a long time. Even my parents, until I decided to write my confession, had no idea that something bad was happening. Something that bothered me so much that I thought about ending my career.

“Insomnia. Depression. Fear of the future. My thirteenth chamber. You don’t believe it, do you? I don’t really understand it in retrospect either. Where others won’t put their foot because they’re scared of the pain, I jump headfirst. I can’t count the scars on my body, I finish matches with my head bandaged, but this hurt my soul.