Mason Mount doesn’t care about the haters on social media

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns and physical isolation, social media was already an integral part of our lives. Same was true for professional footballers, for whom social media is also important from a “brand” or fan engagement perspective.

Of course, social media is also ripe for hot takes, negativity, and all sort of unwarranted hate, often directed personally at the players themselves. It’s a problem that isn’t unique to football or sports, but it rears its ugly head far too often, if not nearly every single day.

The best thing players can do is to try to ignore all that noise and nonsense, which may be easier said than done, especially for the younger generation, like Mason Mount, who’s a favorite “target” of far too much online vitriol.

Fortunately, the 21-year-old says he’s able to tune all that out, and focus on the things that matter, his work, his team, and the people who care about him on and off the pitch.

“You see comments here and there. I’m not one to really look too much into social media and that side of it. I know it’s big in football now, especially when the fans are not at the stadium, obviously a lot of people are on social media when watching the games.

“It doesn’t really bother me too much. I’m trying to be the best I can on the pitch and that’s as a footballer. Nowadays, one of the biggest things is blocking out everything else that comes with it. A lot of things do come with being a footballer.”

“I know people can say good things and then people can say a lot of bad things. It is what it is. People are always going to have an opinion if it’s good or bad.

“I just think the most important people that are in your life are going to help you - listen to them and that’s what I’ve always done.”

Given Mount’s spectacular journey at the club, working his way up step by step by step by loan by step, from the under-8 level to becoming one of the most important players at the club even after a £250m summer spending spree, we should be celebrating the achievements of one of our own.

His determination to make it this far, despite all the obstacles, should ensure that we’re not too late to begin appreciating those qualities now and well into the future.

“I’m a player that wants to do their best for the team and work hard. Maybe people take that the wrong way, I don’t know.

“[But Lampard] knows what I’m like personally and as a player. I’m very headstrong and I don’t really let too many things get to me. He’s let me deal with it myself, which for me, personally, is the best thing. I like to deal with it on my own and get through what’s been said. That’s the way that I’ve kind of been dealing with it.”

-Mason Mount; source: Evening Standard

Mason Mount believed from an early age that he would make it as a Chelsea player despite all the odds, and despite his own father once urging him to reconsider. Having recently made his 50th senior start for the club, it’s safe to say that he’s achieved that first step.

Now, we should be helping and enabling him to get to the next 50.