Open Play
The Vulnerability of a Soccer Icon
Landon Donovan has scored arguably one of the biggest goals in U.S. soccer history.
You know the one: 2010 World Cup, stoppage time against Algeria. Cheers heard in living rooms across the country. Here’s the goal in case you never saw it, or if you want to watch it and relive the moment.
Landon Donovan was known for much more than that one goal, though. Donovan was the face of American soccer for a generation, calm, clutch, and in control.
But lately, I think Donovan’s greatest contribution might not be that goal or anything related to his soccer career. It might be his willingness to show what happens after the whistle, when the spotlight fades and real life shows up.
The vulnerability journey
In 2013, at the height of his career, Donovan stepped away from the game and took a sabbatical. In a move that is more common today (Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, Tyrell Terry), what Donovan did was almost unheard of. In 2013, he took a leave from the game because he was mentally and emotionally exhausted. Since then, he’s been more open that it was depression that was the root cause of the pause in his career.
He continues to talk about depression, the benefit of therapy, and the pressure of being “the guy” for American soccer.
He pointed out that when an athlete is injured, no one questions the time it takes them to heal. But if someone is struggling mentally, we still hesitate to give that same grace.
Since then, he has continued to speak out about mental health, urging men to get help and to check in on one another. For someone who built a career on competition, his message now is refreshingly human: you do not have to push through everything alone.
Then came a new chapter of openness: his hair loss journey.
Instead of quietly fixing it, Donovan shared it. He posted videos on Instagram asking for advice, showed the process of getting a hair system, and even shared the process of installing it.
He did not hide it. He did not wait until it was perfect. He brought people along while it was happening.
Note:
This is not about whether someone should or should not get a hair system, go bald, or get hair transplants.
This is not about whether you think he looks better or worse today.
This is not about judging his choice.
This is about the courage to be open before, during, and after, especially when you know people are watching.
Redefining greatness
It is easy to make jokes about hair loss. People did it to him and still do. But think about that for a moment. One of the most accomplished American athletes publicly acknowledged something millions of men feel insecure about, with authenticity and vulnerability, and he’s become a joke for millions.
What he did, though, was not a weakness and does not deserve to be made fun of. What he did should be celebrated because that is what courage and leadership look like.
We tend to measure greatness by what happens in public: goals scored, records set, trophies lifted, or money earned. But the older I get, the more I think greatness is what happens when nobody sees it, in the willingness to say, “I’m struggling,” or “I’ need help figuring this out.”
Donovan’s story reminds us that even the most successful of us wrestle with self-doubt. I know I do!
When he stepped away from soccer, people said he was soft. When he shared his hair journey, people laughed. And he kept going anyway.
That is the lesson
Greatness does not mean we don’t struggle. It means when we face those struggles, we do it with vulnerability and let others help us when we really need it.
How have you been able to ask for help in your life? What keeps you from being vulnerable in your life? Does US Soccer make it out of the group stage in the upcoming World Cup?
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Very poignant! And worthwhile.