It doesn’t matter how much you earn, how big your house is or how many cars you’ve got.
If dozens, maybe hundreds, of people are telling you every day that you’re s**t at your job, you’re going to feel s**t about yourself.
That’s why the manner in which news of Shane Duffy ’s premature exit from Celtic has been greeted sits uneasily.
The goading from the Rangers support can be put down to rivalry and I’d expect Duffy can handle that, just as Andy Halliday did when tens of thousands of Celtic fans sang his name as he was subbed off before half-time in a Scottish Cup semi-final in 2018.
But the verbal battering Duffy received from many supporters of the Hoops over the season must have deeply wounded him, particularly as he’d been hailed as the man upon whom 10 in a row could be counted when arriving on loan from Brighton.
The big Irishman, captain of his country with Celtic in his blood, was lauded, as was Neil Lennon for signing him.
And when he scored two goals in his first two appearances, it looked like going to plan. In fact, he wasn’t in a losing team until Rangers arrived at Parkhead on October 17.
Panic set in at the realisation that the 10 was under threat and Celtic crumbled. Up until then, only Livingston with two goals in a 3-2 loss had scored more than once against Lennon’s team when Duffy played.
After Connor Goldson’s double, they lost three to Milan and Aberdeen, two to Lille plus four to Sparta.
The tailspin had started and neither they nor Duffy pulled out of it.
Suddenly, the £2million loan fee shelled out and the wages to go with it were used as a bat to hit him with. The longer it went, the worse it got.
Duffy played the last of his 25 games for Celtic on Valentine’s Day. They won 2-1 in Perth but the love-in was over and for Lennon as well. Ten days later he was gone and under John Kennedy, Duffy didn’t kick a ball.
But long before, there were signs all wasn’t well. The ill-advised trip to Dubai saw Duffy return to the UK before his team-mates to deal with a family matter.
It tends to be forgotten footballers have lives off the pitch, just like the rest of us. His father Brian passed away a year ago next week at just 53.
Just because – at the top level – they earn great money doesn’t insulate them from the reality of parents getting sick, kids getting a hard time at school or marital worries.
His Instagram message featured the line: “Thanks to the supporters and the players for helping me through a tough year on and off the field. Not many know what goes on behind the scenes. Time to hit the restart button and get myself sorted.”
I hope he does get himself sorted. It would help if fans and media would stop labelling guys as “flops” and “duds”.
And yes, we have a huge role to play in that.
We jump on our high horse about mental health issues but think nothing about writing “Hoops dud” or “Celtic flop” without any regard for the effect it has on the person.
You don’t get capped 42 times for the Republic of Ireland, often as skipper, if you are a “flop”.
And you don’t play in the Premier League 54 times if you are a “dud”.
