Just heard a clip of him talking on the Why Always Us podcast and, as stupid as it is to say, I couldn't believe how old he sounded. I've seen the old photo of him in a kebab shop and I remember his photo going up on the club website and thinking "fuck me, something's not right" but in my head he's sort of frozen in time as that teenager with a pink face and floppy hair.
You can hear a bit of pain in his voice still when he talks about it but he comes across as so honest and reflective in a positive way rather than a self deprecating one.
As early as his career ended, I'm glad he got the help he needed sooner rather than later and got his life back on the track, started to feel comfortable with himself and found a sense of fulfillment.
There's a lot that's been said about mental health issues both in the game and in society in general over the last couple of years but Johnson's story feels a bit more real than most because it shows how quickly everything can change. People these days seem to think young player's careers follow some predetermined path where their "ceiling" is set by their talent and a few seasons of dedication and a pinch of luck.
I doubt he'd be comfortable with it but Michael Johnson is the poster boy for the unknown mental and emotional state of players which people rarely account for.