In my 24 years as a professional football player I had my share of injuries, to say the least, and even added some after I quit playing too! Bones can be mended and muscles rehabilitated but the psychological impact must also be healed.

In 1983, at the age of 22, my gluteal muscles tore apart my ilium (the bone). This was really bad. After seven months I started training again but I wasn’t fully healed so I tore my ligaments as a result. Bad just got worse and for two years I was disabled.

Then in 1985, back home in the North of Iceland, I was treated by a local. An elderly man with no medical training. But he had his ways, the old ways, let’s just say. He fixed me up. Both my buttocks and my knee. He then told me how important meditation was to maintain overall health. I had no idea what he was talking about but he taught me how and with this I was able to return to my career and continue for another 14 years.

I strongly believe it’s now time for this industry, and sports in general, to seriously attend to mental training as well as physical training. We at Kick on Mind created the Champions of Football Deck as simple but powerful tool for that purpose. The deck combines both the old ways and the new, and I’m convinced it can help others, just like it helped me.”