Head in hands, tears flowing. It is not a sight you often see from a top-flight footballer. Keeping calm under pressure comes with the job, but there is a sense it is what fans and team-mates expect. So when Everton striker Thierno Barry posted a video last month of himself breaking down during a private training session, it sparked conversation about showing emotion in an industry where revealing vulnerability can be a risk.
BBC Newsbeat met the French footballer at the club's training ground to find out why he chose to share the raw moment. "I was really scared about posting that. And I said: 'No, I just need to show myself,'" says Barry of the video released on his YouTube channel. "Last season I showed a version of me [that wasn't] me, and [people] need to learn about me." In the video, the 23-year-old is seen frustrated and upset about his performance before leaving the session in tears as his team works to reassure him. The next day, he reflects that it felt positive to let go. "Sometimes it feels good to just lose it," he says. Barry sat on the video for three weeks before releasing it. "It's the first time I cried in front of my friends. They always see me as a strong [person]."
A £27m move from Villarreal at the age of 22 was always going to be a jump for the Lyon-born player, and fans expect a lot from new signings. Everton reposted the clip with the caption "emotional resilience," and comments urged the player to keep his head up. Barry acknowledged the support, saying the people around him helped him stay positive, and that his own inner critic is harsher than any fan's disapproval.
He also spoke about adjusting to a new club and country, which he described as "really difficult." "It's the hardest league in the world. New league, a new language." Last season he made 41 appearances and scored eight goals, while this season he has already scored six. "People can say I miss a lot of chances, but I also create a lot of chances," he says, while acknowledging the pressure fans place on strikers to score.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing