Cyriel Dessers, Super Eagles striker, has said he turned to a psychologist while on loan to Feyenoord in 2021 to help with his mental health.
Dessers joined from Genk after not getting much playing time, and it took some time to adjust, having played in the Eredivisie before with Heracles Almelo and FC Utrecht.
Cyriel Dessers. (X)
Competition and Fan Pressure
Dessers also faced stiff competition at Feyenoord from the club’s established starter, Bryan Linssen. Dessers also failed to win over Feyenoord’s fans, who would jeer him at matches.
The pressure was too much for the Nigerian striker, mentally sapping him. Dessers reflected on this period, saying, ‘I think I was so close to a kind of burnout at that time.’
And Dessers credits the decision to consult a psychologist, whom he says helped turn things around, for reviving his career.
“It was a big weight off my shoulders that conversation,” he said, as quoted by Feyenoordpings.
He also revealed that this mental shift helped him get going, and his form improved massively.
Dessers scored 20 goals and supplied four assists in 41 games that season as Feyenoord reached the UEFA Europa League final, where he finished as the competition’s top scorer with nine goals.
