Today, Van der Wiel has taken off the mask he wore for 15 years to become a mental health advocate through his new podcast, Pressure. In this exclusive Flashscore interview, he opens up about the taboo of depression in modern football, his youthful stubbornness in rejecting Bayern Munich, sharing the PSG dressing room with legends like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and his new ventures off the pitch.
After your career, you became a mental health advocate and launched your podcast, Pressure. What pushed you to start this, and how did the idea come about?
"It all started seven years ago when I stopped playing football. I began having panic attacks, anxiety, and feeling very bad. Waking up every day with no routine, no goal, and no games made it very difficult to find my rhythm in a new life. I think all the suppressed emotions from my career were finally coming out.
"I had a lot of difficult years trying to find myself again and figuring out who Gregory van der Wiel is without football. I felt this struggle shouldn't be for nothing. When I started speaking about it on social media, I got a massive response from big players, guys from the Premier League and Real Madrid, saying: "I know what you mean, I feel the same."
"That made me realise how important this topic is. I wanted to make this story bigger than myself, and what better way than having conversations with top athletes to show the world how they truly deal with pressure."
In a time when the football calendar is growing exponentially, and the overall pressure and criticism are increasing, how do you think players cope with today's game?
"It’s different for everyone. For me, it was very difficult to cope. What I did was shut myself off, numb myself out, and try not to feel anything, which obviously isn't a good thing. I hope players start recognising when they are struggling and actively search for help.
"Sometimes asking for help makes it sound like there's something wrong with you, but just having a conversation with a sports psychologist, or simply someone who listens, is crucial. You need to open up about your anger or disappointment = something I didn't do. You might think some players are dealing with pressure perfectly, but behind the scenes they are really suffering.
"You wouldn't expect it just by looking at them from the outside, and that’s the dangerous part."
You recently declared that you lived 15 years with a mask and felt like you were drowning without anyone knowing. Why are mental health and depression still such a taboo in the football world?
"In the football world, specific behaviours are expected from you. You have to show up, play your games, and perform. I don't think everybody's personality is naturally made to handle the pressure that comes with it. We all start out loving the game innocently on the streets, but then everything else arrives: the money, the media, the fans.
"As a top player, you earn a lot and live a "cool" life, so you're expected to be an invincible, strong man. Unfortunately, if you admit you're not feeling well, it's seen as a weakness. That's exactly what I try to address. I want to show that I can love fashion, tattoos, and a good lifestyle, but still struggle mentally.
"You don't have to be perfectly fine to be cool. Not feeling well shouldn't be seen as a weakness, and thankfully, things are getting better step by step."
Would you like to encourage more players to open up about this?
"100%. I'm not the biggest player in the world, but from my story alone, I’ve received messages from everyday people saying: "I was scared to speak up, but because you did, I feel like I can too." Just speaking about it helps immensely. Imagine if even bigger athletes did the same; it gives people the strength to accept that it's okay not to be okay sometimes.
"That's what I want to achieve with my podcast: having big names open up about their difficult periods and how they survived them. It’s incredibly powerful."
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Let's look back at your career. You rose to fame very quickly at Ajax. After your years at Haarlem, what was it like to break out at your hometown club?
"It was a dream. Growing up in Amsterdam and playing football on the streets every single day, Ajax was the club. My one goal was to become a professional footballer there. Achieving that was simply a dream come true."
What was it like to share the dressing room with legends as a young player?
"It was crazy. As a young boy coming into the first team, you see these massive names that you only knew from TV, and suddenly you are right there with them. Later, going to PSG and playing next to even bigger stars was incredible. Sometimes it's hard to fully realise it in the moment, but looking back, being a teammate with those guys was a privilege."
You were part of the Netherlands side that reached the 2010 World Cup final. What was the secret behind that achievement?
"The team chemistry was fantastic, and everything was perfectly aligned. We had amazing players, but more importantly, we were a genuinely balanced team. A team full of stars won't always win; you need balance, and we had it.
"Reaching the final as a small country was historic. Personally, I had just turned 22. To play every minute of a World Cup final at that age was incredible. It’s everything you can ever dream of."
Sixteen years later, is that final loss against Spain still tough to recover from?
"No. It was unfortunate, of course. Being that close, it would have been nice to call myself a world champion. But Spain was simply the better team; they were incredibly strong in that period. I don't hold onto any bad feelings towards it now."
After that World Cup, you nearly moved to Bayern Munich. Why did that move collapse?
"I didn't have direct conversations with Louis van Gaal, but I knew they wanted me before the World Cup. I chose not to pursue the move for reasons that, looking back, weren't very strong. I just wasn't interested in living or playing in Germany based on very little actual knowledge. I was young and stubborn.
"Saying no to a club like Bayern Munich is obviously something you can question later. But at the time, Barcelona had also shown interest. They were my dream club, and Dani Alves was my idol. Knowing I was close to Barca made me feel like the world was at my feet, so I said no to Germany."
The following season, you stayed at Ajax and won the Eredivisie under Frank de Boer, ending a seven-year wait for the title. What was that season finale against FC Twente like?
"That final match against Twente is one of the best games I’ve ever played. We had lost the Cup final to them just a week earlier, but playing the last league game of the season directly against our title rivals was massive.
"The tension and atmosphere in the stadium were incredible. Winning that game, providing two assists, and becoming a champion with my home club after a seven-year wait was almost too good to be true. It was one of the greatest days of my life."
At EURO 2012, despite a strong squad, the Netherlands went out in the group stage. What went wrong?
"Two years before, everything went perfectly. Then you enter the EUROs as a top country expected to reach the final, and everything goes wrong. To be honest, I don't even know exactly what happened. We just lost three games. Sometimes it’s simply not your year."
How would you compare playing under Bert van Marwijk versus Louis van Gaal?
"The main difference is that Van Gaal is much stricter than Van Marwijk. That strictness can be good for some teams, but it depends on the player. I’m the kind of player who doesn't respond well to that level of rigidity. I play much better when I’m given freedom, trust, and confidence.
"Van Marwijk really made me feel like he believed in me, trusting a 22-year-old to start a World Cup final. I felt like I was his guy. With Van Gaal, I didn't have that connection. I always felt like he was sort of against me. That doesn't mean he actually was, but as a player, you create stories in your head based on how you feel. I just wasn't feeling my best under him."
In the summer of 2012, you moved to Paris Saint-Germain. How did you experience the transition to such a massive club?
"I grew up with massive expectations at Ajax, where you always have to win. But Paris was on a completely different level. It was a new country, a new culture, and a new dressing room where nobody spoke my language. Tactically, it was a huge adjustment too.
"In the Netherlands, we played a strict 4-3-3, and suddenly in Paris we were playing 4-4-2. It took me some time to adapt. But once I did, playing for a team like that in a city like Paris was a dream."
Marquinhos was there during your time and is now a legendary figure at the club. Did you expect him to stay this long and achieve this status?
"You never know how long someone is going to stay, but what he has achieved is amazing. He came to the club very young and learned from all the great players ahead of him. To see him now as a captain, leading the team deep into the Champions League consistently, is fantastic. It was an honour to play alongside him."
Ten years after you left, PSG is ruling Europe. What changed to allow them to finally break that glass ceiling?
"The evolution has been great. We had an amazing team when I was there, and the teams after me with Neymar, Messi, and Mbappe were incredible too. But I think recently it really clicked because the team is much more balanced.
"You might have slightly fewer massive names, but balance is everything in football. Everyone knows their role, they complement each other, and they have an excellent coach who knows how to make it work."
What do you remember about your brief spell in Italy with Cagliari?
"It was unfortunate. Sardinia is a beautiful place, but the football side didn't go the way I thought it would. It was very disappointing for me, and I had to leave quickly."
You also played for Fenerbahce. How do you explain the recent massive growth of Turkish football?
"They simply have a lot of money to spend. And with a lot of money, you can attract great players. It’s as simple as that."
For the first time since 1978, a foreign coach has taken the lead in the Netherlands. What do you think about his arrival and mindset?
"I love it. I was hoping they would go for a different coach rather than rotating the same familiar names, which obviously hasn't been working perfectly. The Netherlands is always one of the favourites and has world-class players, but it never fully comes to fruition.
"I felt like we needed fresh air and an outside perspective on Dutch football. I'm very curious to see his approach and hope he brings something new."
Who is the toughest forward you faced in your career?
"You can take your pick: Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo. I played against all the world stars for many years at the top level, and they are all incredibly tough."
And your best teammate?
"Playing with Zlatan Ibrahimovic for four years was amazing. Then you add Di Maria, Thiago Silva, Verratti, Thiago Motta, Pastore, Cavani, Lavezzi. With the national team: Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie. There are just too many to name."
Who was the best coach you worked with, or the one you learned the most from?
"That's a very good question. Every coach is different. I worked with legends like Carlo Ancelotti, but to be honest, I don't have a definitive answer. I learned something different from every single coach along the way."
Finally, how do you see your future? Will you continue focusing on mental health advocacy?
"I will definitely continue with the Pressure podcast, bringing awareness to how people deal with mental struggles and trying to grow this platform globally. Alongside that, I’m launching some other ventures, including a supplement brand.
"When I was feeling bad, I was taking a lot of supplements but didn't know which ones to trust. I also love marketing, so I’m learning a lot about myself and trying to focus my purpose on the things I genuinely love."