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It has been over 15 minutes since Leighton Baines finished talking and listening to a classroom of schoolchildren, when thoughts finally turn to himself.

For those that know the Everton stalwart, that it took him so long will come as little surprise.

As selfless off the pitch as he is on it, the 32-year-old has volunteered his time to chat to the pupils of Linacre County Primary School in Bootle.

It is no more than a 10-minute drive from Bramley Moore Dock, prospective new site of the Blues' new stadium, but football is not on the agenda on this afternoon.

Not to begin with, at least.

Baines, as part of Everton In The Community's 'Tackling the Blues' programme, is here to promote the importance of mental health and wellbeing for children. His presence, and his honesty about such an important subject, is designed to show how discussing emotions openly is vital for young people.

The full back is willing to speak up in order to help others speak out.

“They probably look to you as just someone always on the TV,” Baines says. “Playing football is something a lot of kids want to do and they probably think once you get there, it's just eternal bliss. That's not the case.”

“It's just about trying to normalise it a little bit, and let them know we go through different things. “When I was younger, I had a lot of bibs and bobs of feeling anxious, so it's nice to support the work that's being done by the teachers.”

Though the awareness in mental health has increased over the past decade – and with it, the stigma which surrounds it subsiding – there remains a lack of education around the issue.

For those who do not suffer, it can be difficult to understand how to cope with a person who suffers from problems such as anxiety and depression. For the medical fraternity, it can become harder to treat the longer it is undetected, something which can be founded during formative years.

Half of adults with mental health issues, excluding dementia, first experience symptoms before the age of 14.

It is not something which discriminates, either. It can affect any adult. That includes professional footballers.

Viewed from afar, whether through a television screen or behind the advertising hoardings at a stadium, players can sometimes be regarded by fans as commodities rather than human beings with emotions, both positive and negative.

The topic of mental health is not one that has entered the sport's discussion much, in truth. No surprise then, perhaps, that moving on to the concept of mental health in football took so long.

But after admitting he felt anxious at times during his childhood, Baines also believes raising awareness for mental health, and talking about it, isn't done enough in the game.

“There can be a backlash, can't there? There can definitely be perceived weakness over things like that,” he adds. “A few years ago, we had that little bit of a breakthrough where psychologists were brought into football a little bit more, and everyone tried to support it.

“But regardless, there's still that second-guessing from the culture within, where you think if you start talking to him, then people are going to think you've got some kind of issues that's going to be seen as a weakness or whatever.

“You like to think, in this day and age, you wouldn't be there.

“But it's the environment and culture we're in that there's going to be that little bit of doubt in there. It's an alpha-male environment most times.

“As I say, we are moving forward so it's better than that now.”

Football thrives in a high-pressure environment. The financial aspects are well-known – this season's Champions League saw UEFA pour over £1billion into the tournament in revenue for participating clubs – but it is just as important on a human level.

Every kick, tackle and decision takes place in front of tens of thousands of people live, and millions across the globe.

Imagine standing 12 yards from the Gwladys Street goal, Goodison shaking in anticipation, ahead of taking a penalty. For that moment, the hopes and dreams of so many sit upon one pair of shoulders; shoulders which, inevitably, have to be as broad as the Mersey.

Success brings euphoria. Anything else, despair. No matter which football club, or what stadium, there will be good times and bad. Something, ultimately, that is reflected in the crowd. Cheers from your own, abuse from others; a footballer faces a 90-minute backing track of opinions from others.

(Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

But do those who criticise so freely, so vociferously, that they do so to people who can still be affected by it?

“They can do,” admits Baines. “It's hard to expect people whose lives haven't exposed them to certain situations to know how other people feel.

“That might be a fan talking to a footballer, or vice-versa, a footballer who is financially comfortable to understand the hardships a fan might be going through. That's in all walks of life. It's having a sense of empathy for someone else's situation.

“As a footballer, you might get a bit of abuse from time to time, but you also get a lot of good stuff as well. It's swings and roundabouts, and you have to understand that.

“You generally find that people who have been in similar high pressure type situations and jobs can sometimes be more understanding.

“But it's probably not fair, if there's some individuals whose life hasn't exposed them to that situation, to just expect them to be more understanding.”

(Image: 2017 Getty Images)

That interaction is not limited to aural, either. The modern game now brings social media, and all its pitfalls, with it. Any activity on a player's Twitter will launch a barrage of replies, frequent and fierce. Last week, Romelu Lukaku tweeted how impressed he was with the Champions League; several fans took this as a slight against the Blues and told him so, sternly.

For Baines, an infrequent, evasive figure on the site, social media and its use confuses him – especially the abuse to sportsmen in general.

He says: “You see it. I think when it comes to sportsmen, people just go on there and take part in what they think is a nothing bit of banter.

“For someone on there, who is on the receiving end of dozens and dozens of that stuff of that nature, it can seem different to what your one tweet represents. People need to be mindful of that sometimes.

“Why go on there to just be negative? Have opinions, but there's always a line.

“You see it with the lads who do the boxing as well. I have a little go on the social media thing but I tend to stay away.

"I'm with the lads all the time so I don't always need to see what they're putting out, so I tend to follow the boxers more, that's what I'd be interested in over football. That's why I reference them really, I see them take a bit of stick.

“What they go through, with the training camps and the sacrifices they make, is incredible. Sometimes it just doesn't come together for you. We get a chance in a football environment to go out the week after, and do it again and again. They have to wait months.”

A lot to deal with, whether you're Baines, Bellew or any other public figure. How does the Kirkby-born star unwind and escape from such pressures?

“I've got three kids, so it takes care of itself,” he says. “My kids' footy is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night, and normal stuff like that, they kind of take you away from it anyway. From 48 hours before is when I tend to prioritise myself a little bit, get my feet up or whatever. Just normal stuff.

“Once you have a family and kids and you've had that routine for a while, weeks like most people's don't change.

“If I can make the school run I will. If not, then tea time, kids footy, get them to bed and get your feet up for a bit, the same as what most people try to do.”

As Baines departs, the clean-up from the afternoon's activities continues. After a game of 'emoji bingo' – where pupils have to put down nine emotions to explain how they're feeling, then tick them off as they are drawn out – plenty of unsuccessful bingo cards are cleared up.

Including the Everton man's. “ I was waiting on one,” he confesses, laughing. “I was waiting on it for about four or five.

“I was a bit relieved I didn't have to stand up and shout bingo. I can't remember what one I was waiting on, but I had to do nine.

“After the 90 minutes against Bournemouth, it covered nearly all of them!”