Michael Richard Bennett (born 27 August 1969) is an English former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
winger. During his career, he made over 150 appearances in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
.
Since his retirement from playing, Bennett has become involved with helping footballers dealing with depression and is currently the head of player welfare at the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
The aims of ...
.
Career
Bennett had represented England at youth level, including being included in an
England under-20 tour of Brazil, but his career was disrupted by a serious knee injury sustained in a match against
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
in 1991 while playing for
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
. He was originally told that he would be out for six weeks but was kept out of the game for nine months when it was revealed he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and crushed the cartilage in his knee. Bennett has admitted that, although he returned to league football, he never recovered from the injury, largely due to the mental stress it caused and retired from football at the age of 29.
Bennett set up an organization called Unique Sports Counselling to help footballers deal with
mental health
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
issues.
Honours
Canvey Island
*
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
:
2000–01
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Mickey
1969 births
Living people
Footballers from Camberwell
English footballers
Association football midfielders
Charlton Athletic F.C. players
Wimbledon F.C. players
Millwall F.C. players
Brentford F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
Cambridge City F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players
Canvey Island F.C. players
English Football League players