Inter wing back Denzel Dumfries revealed that he contacted a sports psychologist after the Netherlands reached the knock-out stages of the World Cup in Qatar.
The 26-year-old Dutch full back was the star of the show in the Oranje’s Round of 16 clash with the USA, scoring one goal and providing two assists to drive his team forward to a 3-1 win. The Netherlands will now face pre-tournament favourites Argentina in the quarter-finals, setting up a rematch of their famous quarter-final clash in 1998.
Speaking to De Telegraaf, Dumfries first discussed how it felt to be the decisive player in the Netherlands’ win over the US.
“I’m happy that I was able to get revenge for myself sportingly. I can tell you that the criticism you get has not been easy. I felt I could do better than I showed in the group stage. Mentally, it was quite tough to put myself over it.”
He revealed that he starting talking to a sports psychologist after the group stages.
“I have the right people around me who help me. I have been in contact with sports psychologist Annemieke Zijerveld via Zoom in recent days.
“I have known her since my time at Sparta. There might be a bit of a taboo about talking about it. It’s not always easy being a footballer, it does something to you.
“You want to be important, you want to do the best for the team. For that, a certain mental resilience is also very important.”
Finally, Dumfries discussed the importance of keeping an eye on mental health and how talking to a sports psychologist has helped him.
“It’s important to be mentally sound. I’m honest about it, that it was quite difficult. But anyway, then you have to find the inner calm to get back to basics. She is helping me with that and I’m grateful for that.
“It might be hard to come out for it, but it’s part of the game. I’m happy that I now had the inner peace to be important to the team. It’s an underexposed aspect. We’re also vulnerable. In that respect, I think by being open about it, you can encourage others to seek help when they need it.”
Inter are open to selling Dumfries next summer and his market value is seemingly rising as he impresses at the World Cup with the Netherlands.