Chelsea: Vinay Menon – Premier League’s first wellness coach

“Didier was the initial one – Chelsea is like one big family and we just sat and ate in the canteen with the players and so we started a conversation organically while eating,” says Menon.

“He asked what I can do for him, and I told him we can try this, and he asked me to try right away. That was the moment where football opened in front of me.

“After that Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, John Terry began coming to me to try it.

“The medical department were fantastic and made me part of their team, despite being from a different discipline.”

Menon’s sessions involved meditation, sharpening players’ mental approach and dispelling the negative thoughts that can come with top-flight pressure and scrutiny.

“I was a person without a title, teaching the players self-care and how to balance, spiritually, emotionally, and ultimately impact them physically,” says Menon.

“They are human beings and need a friend to giggle with, babble to and then they will open up.

“You need to be happy in the mind in sports and business. It’s the same – the mind is everything.”

Menon was a constant presence in the Chelsea backroom staff for 13 years, working under managers such as Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and, finally, Thomas Tuchel.

“I got the chance to be part of all the trophies Chelsea won from 2010,” he says.

“What an experience, it was an unbelievable space, I miss it a lot, frankly.”