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鈥淭here was this moment,鈥� says Ben Sigmund . 鈥淚 was in the pub. I put my beer down and I said to my mates, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want to be one of those 鈥榗ould-a-been, should-a-been鈥� kind of guys. I鈥檝e got one last chance to be a professional footballer. I鈥檓 going to go for it.鈥欌��

Before then, Ben will tell you, he鈥檇 had a difficult relationship with his sport. Sure, he鈥檇 played for New Zealand, but somehow he didn鈥檛 think he was good enough; didn鈥檛 feel he really deserved to be in the team. Despite what everybody said. So he played rugby for a while. And he had a few beers.

鈥淚 just decided to believe in myself. Actually, I decided to become myself: I thought about the things Ben Sigmund is good at and I decided to be him. But, also, I decided what kind of person I wanted Ben Sigmund to be. I wanted to be more than a good player; I wanted to be a role model. I decided to do the work, sign the autographs and be someone people would admire.鈥�

However, before boy-with-talent could become Ben Sigmund, something else had to change: his relationship with his parents. Because what Ben knew, that they didn鈥檛 realise, was that they were part of the problem. 鈥淭hey just wanted the best for me, like all parents, but that was very much part of the pressure. So, I talked to them. And it wasn鈥檛 easy and it took a while, but then they understood. They were always my biggest fans, now they鈥攁nd my wife Deanna鈥攁re my most valuable supporters. I鈥檓 so grateful for all they鈥檝e done during my career.鈥�

Talent will take you so far, Ben will tell you, but it鈥檚 not enough. What you also need is resilience, realistic goals, the right attitude and the ability to communicate. Which is why the person Ben Sigmund is becoming now is the kind of guy helping young players with that side of their professional development.

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