Footballers With Social Media Aspirations Need To Strike The Right Balance Between The Game And Online Pursuits

Footballers aspiring to expand their social media presence need to strike the right balance between their sporting careers and endeavours to gain more followers, said celebrated former international footballer Patrice Evra.

Speaking at the 21^st Arab Media Forum in a session titled ‘Game Changers: Athletes as Global Influencers’, moderated by Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, Evra, the former Manchester United and French national football captain, said that players need to prioritise the game and their training. However, players “cannot be without social media”. “They can use the platform to answer their critics.”

He noted that the new generation of footballers do not have the same values of his generation, which was more focused on “working hard”. Sometimes younger players tend to pay more attention to gaining millions of followers over training, said Evra, who is heralded as one of the best full-backs of his generation.

Players, however, need to adapt to the new world of social media since it has a massive impact on their lives, he said. He stressed that in a world where social media is all-pervasive, players need to be mentally strong and not let things affect them.

As part of his philosophy of making people happy, Evra said he posts a Monday Motivation video at the start of every week.

The well-known footballer said the best memory of his footballing career was signing his first ever professional contract at the age of 17. “I was in paradise,” he said. “I called my mom and she was crying on the phone.”

Speaking about Dubai, he said that he feels he is at home when he’s in the city. He had high words of praise for Dubai’s diversity and inclusiveness. He encouraged all the people living in the country to embrace its culture and learn the local language.

Apart from being an influential social media personality, Patrice Evra is now a successful entrepreneur with his ‘I Love The Game’ brand, as well as a motivational speaker. Among a myriad of endeavours, he aims to help mentor and inspire people around the world to maximise their potential.