Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings sets an example for his teammates on and off the pitch.
While an ACL injury has kept him out of action since August 2023, Mings has remained positive throughout his recovery and is now close to taking to the field at Villa Park.
Mings returned to Aston Villa training in August and featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday evening.
The 31-year-old is stepping up his fitness ahead of his first-team comeback after the international break, as revealed by Unai Emery last week.
Mings – who signed from Bournemouth for £20 million in 2019 – is one of many Aston Villa players who shares a connection with the supporters and that was showcased once more on World Mental Health Day.
Tyrone Mings sends message to Aston Villa fans on World Mental Health Day
Mental health is a topic that people are becoming more comfortable speaking about. One in four people will suffer from a mental health problem in any year while over 10% of the UK’s population have depression at any one time.
That is why many people use going to football or watching their team on the TV as an escape from their problems in daily life, and that is why the sense of community and belonging that sport brings is invaluable.
World Mental Health Day falls on Thursday 10th of October and it is designed to encourage people to come together and speak about mental health.
Aston Villa football club have joined in with the discussion by uploading a video onto their X account. It features Mings issuing a heartwarming message to two young Villa fans who sadly lost their father to suicide.
“I can’t thank you enough on behalf of the Villa fans, the whole community,” Mings said in the video.
“There’s obviously a famous song that Villa fans about Holte Enders in the sky and I’m sure when that is being sung around the stadium, take some comfort that your father is never lost as part of the Aston Villa family and will always be a part of it.”
Tyrone Mings is a credit to Aston Villa
Mings has been a quality servant on the pitch in his five years at the club but he’s also contributed as much off the pitch for those who are struggling.
The Villa star has gained a reputation for charitable and generous acts, influenced by his childhood experience of living in a homeless shelter.
In June 2023, it was revealed that Mings supported Prince William’s initiative to end homelessness after experiencing it first-hand as a child while becoming an ambassador for the project.
Speaking about his experience of homelessness last year, Mings said: “A lot of the time, we may have a cynical view that if somebody is homeless, then they must have either chosen to be in that situation or have done something to mean that they’re now homeless.
“But really, I think there are so many different ways that they can find themselves in some sort of unfavourable situations, and it’s about getting to those people and understanding what we can do slightly earlier.”
Mings’ public acts of generosity have also included donating tickets to a hard-up fan and spending Christmas Day helping to feed homeless people.
These heartwarming acts of kindness just show that Mings isn’t just an incredible footballer, but an incredible person too.
