Soucek: After two years of insomnia and depression, the helicopter celebration came from the pursuit of freedom

The 30-year-old Tomas Soucek, captain of the Czech national team, has been quietly battling insomnia and depression in London.

Soucek wrote in his new autobiography "Suk": "Do you know what the Whoop wristband can do? If you don't know, that's okay, I didn't know it at first. I bought one in the fall of 2023 and consulted a professional at the time. It's an ordinary black wristband that I always wear on my left wrist. It can monitor my heart rate and sleep quality. You may be thinking, 'Another one. A smartphone accessory that you don’t use after a week because you don’t need it at all. ’ But with the app on the phone, you can see whether a person is overloaded, whether they can increase the intensity in their training, and what their physical condition is like. ”

“I had a long nightmare. I was ashamed to talk about it until I decided to write about it. This trouble made me even think about ending my career. Insomnia, depression, and fear of the future were all my third knot. You may not believe it, but I didn’t understand it afterward. I plunged into places where others were afraid of pain, and I had countless scars on my head after the game. "It was just slightly annoying at first, but it became unbearable after a few months. I was at a low point and couldn't sleep before every game. Can you imagine? I was afraid of failure, afraid of other people's reactions, afraid of everything."

The fan-favorite also explained that his signature helicopter celebration was inspired by the feeling of freedom from off-field troubles.

He added: "I tried a thousand ways to get out of trouble, only to get deeper and deeper into it. Every game, my main focus was not being able to sleep, which only made me more anxious. That's why I created the helicopter celebration, where when I started spinning, I could feel the freedom of taking off."