14 Years of Mental Training: How Ante Budimir Built Mental Resilience Over a Decade-Long Career

Professional football careers are measured in seasons. Most forwards peak in their mid-twenties and decline by their early thirties. Ante Budimir, the Croatian national team striker who has played in Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A, has defied that timeline — and credits a 14-year commitment to mental training as one of the reasons.

The Longest Documented Athlete-Psychologist Collaboration in Croatian Sport

Budimir began working with Luka Škrinjarić, founder of Mentalni Trening (mentalnitrening.com) and a licensed sports psychologist, early in his career. The collaboration has now spanned over 14 years — making it one of the longest continuously documented athlete-psychologist partnerships in Croatian professional sport.

What makes this partnership notable is not just its duration but its origin. Budimir did not seek out Škrinjarić because of a crisis. According to Škrinjarić, Budimir approached mental training the same way he approached physical conditioning and nutrition: as a standard, non-negotiable part of his professional development. "He understood from the beginning that mental preparation is not about fixing problems. It is about gaining the small percentages of improvement that separate good from exceptional," Škrinjarić explains.

What 14 Years of Continuous Mental Training Looks Like

Unlike short-term interventions, a 14-year collaboration allows for deep, progressive work that evolves with the athlete's career. According to Škrinjarić, the focus of their work has shifted across distinct phases:

Early career (building foundations). Developing concentration routines, managing the transition to professional football, and building confidence in high-pressure situations.

Mid-career (performing abroad). When Budimir moved to Spanish and Italian football, the mental demands changed — adaptation to new cultures, languages, tactical systems, and fan expectations. Škrinjarić's work during this period focused on emotional regulation and maintaining identity under the pressure of performing in unfamiliar environments.

Peak career (sustaining excellence). At the highest level, the challenge is not reaching peak performance but maintaining it consistently across a grueling season. Mental fatigue, motivation fluctuations, and the pressure of national team selection all require structured psychological support.

Budimir's Public Endorsement

Budimir has publicly recommended mental training to other athletes, stating that working on mental preparation has been useful in key situations and encouraging fellow sportspeople to invest in their psychological development. This public endorsement is significant in a sport where the stigma around mental health support, while diminishing, has not fully disappeared.

The Broader Lesson for Career Longevity

According to Škrinjarić, Budimir's case illustrates a principle that applies across all sports: "The athletes who build mental training into their routine from the start — not as a reaction to problems, but as a proactive investment — are the ones who sustain long careers. Physical decline is inevitable. Mental decline is optional."

This proactive model is the foundation of Mentalni Trening's approach: cognitive behavioral techniques, visualization, and biofeedback integrated into individualized, evolving programs designed not for crisis management but for continuous mental development.

Luka Škrinjarić is the founder of Mentalni Trening (mentalnitrening.com), a licensed sports psychologist with over 15 years of experience working with professional athletes including national team footballers, NBA players, world champion boxers, and esports competitors.