Former goalkeeper Roy Carroll believes his battle with depression and alcohol can help him offer young players a different perspective on football and life.
The 45-year-old enjoyed a glittering career between the posts, winning a Premier League title and FA Cup with Manchester United, and earning 45 caps for Northern Ireland.
But behind the success and bubbly personality lay a footballer who was struggling to cope.
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Carroll hit rock bottom after leaving West Ham in 2005 after suffering a serious injury which left him unable to play.
With his career in limbo, the Enniskillen native found solace at the bottom of a bottle, previously admitting he would start drinking as soon as he woke up.
Despite being sober for over a decade, the former international shot-stopper admits he faces a daily battle with his demons.
Bot now Carroll is using those life experiences to help steer the future careers of young players in Northern Ireland.
He runs his own coaching business, and last year he took up the role of Irish FA Head Goalkeeper Development Coach.
"The best thing now is people are talking about mental health. That's a massive thing," Carroll told Belfast Live's That's What I Call Football podcast.
"I do see a big improvement. I recently went over to Nottingham Forest with our academy, and they have a full-time person looking after the young players.
"I remember being at Hull City, and they brought you in to tell you if you had a contract or not. I was fortunate to get a professional deal, but I saw a lot of other players who didn't and I was left on my own.
"It was difficult in those days but it is a lot better now.
"Over here in Northern Ireland it probably needs a bit more work, even in the lower leagues."
He added: "It is okay turning up to training with a big smile on your face. I did that at West Ham, but when I went home I closed the door and I was completely shut off from the world. So people don't see the truth at times."
Carroll is conscious of the benefits of speaking up about mental health.
Back in 2019 he and former teammate Keith Gillespie linked up with newly-formed club FC Mindwell which was launched to help support men's mental health.
Carroll said: "I linked up with FC Mindwell before the pandemic. Keith and I joined up with the club because they were promoting mental health issues in Northern Ireland.
"That was fantastic, especially after what I went through in my life and career. To watch the club launch and then grow every year has been fantastic.
"Men can go out at weekends and enjoy playing football and have a bit of banter with each other during training. Keith and I went there to try and help and it was great to get involved."
Carroll believes clubs and national football associations have to invest more in supporting both the physical and emotional welfare of players.
He says that help was lacking when he was progressing in his own career, its stark absence never more prevalent than when his life spiralled out of control during his mid-20s.
"I didn't get that advice when I was a young player growing up. When I got my bad injury at 27 I was a young man and I couldn't handle it," he said.
"That's what happened to my career for three or four years. I went down the wrong road. And that's what I am trying to teach young players.
"It is important you do your schoolwork and business work. I am a businessman with my own coaching school and I do struggle with it. And I don't shy away from that, even at 45 years old.
"You have to understand that injuries can put you out of football for a long time. My career and life was all about football, and when I was out for 10 months I thought my life had ended and I dealt with it the wrong way.
"But I got out the other side and it was good for me. Things happen for a reason, and now I can explain to people what I went through. We are here to try and help the younger players.
"Only a small percentage of players make it football, and a lot of players end up with nothing at the end of it. So you need to be realistic in life."
He added: "If you are a professional footballer at the highest level for 15 years and look after your money, you could be okay for the rest of your life.
"But it doesn't happen like that. I played for Manchester United but then I hit rock bottom. I didn't do anything for nine months because I was out of the game and nobody wanted me because of depression and alcohol.
"It happens in football. All young players only see the superstars at the World Cup like Messi, but they don't see what Messi had to do to get there.
"I was quite lucky that Cristiano Ronaldo came in when I was at Manchester United and he worked his socks off to get to the top. It wasn't just because he turned up and played games. He trained 4-5 hours a day to be the best.
"I have seen players in the lower leagues who want to be the best, but they don't want to work for it.
"I started off with Hull City in the old Third Division and got a move to Wigan, and then I got my move to Manchester United. I worked hard at it.
"I look back and I loved every minute of it. Even the bad times I had, I learned from them.
"I finished playing for Linfield after picking up a bad injury, but I was lucky because I had my coaching plans in place.
"So we need to look after players going into retirement, and hopefully they get some support in the later stages of their careers."
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