The pain, the tears... I’d go through it all again in a heartbeat if I knew it would lead to this moment @SunderlandAFC 🏆🥹❤️🤍

To lead this incredible club out on a night like this was nothing short of incredible. League One to Europe with the club I love 🫶 To share this experience with my teammates and the fans and was special. Ha'way the European Lads!! 🛫'

“Do you want to go on The High Performance Podcast?” My first thought? No chance. Who am I, to go on there? Why would anyone want to listen to me? I’ve watched some of the most successful people in the world sit in those chairs. CEOs, elite athletes and people at the very top of their game. One of my heroes, Jonny Wilkinson , has been on there two times. Then there was me, comparing myself to all of them and wondering whether I was good enough to belong in that room. Every instinct was telling me to say no. Stay safe, don’t put yourself in a position where people can judge you. It was the old version of my thought process coming back. The version of myself who worried too much about what people thought and questioned whether I was good enough. The truth is, I was experiencing imposter syndrome. And as Jake Humphrey once said: “The word syndrome is misleading. It implies it’s real. The truth is it is simply a feeling - a feeling you get when you care about something deeply. Which is great! It reminds you what matters.” So underneath the fear, I knew I had a bigger mission and what mattered is that I want to help players. Help people who have struggled like I have. I’ve had meltdowns. I’ve had breakdowns. I’ve had moments when I didn’t feel good enough. I’ve questioned myself and doubted myself more times than people probably realise. That was exactly why I had to say yes. Because if I stayed safe, I might protect myself from judgement, but I’d also be hiding the parts of my story that could help someone else. So I went against every instinct telling me to run, and I walked into the room… …It became one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes made me feel incredibly welcome, but they also challenged me to think deeply about my journey and the answers I gave. I’m so grateful to them both for inviting me on. If you watch the episode, I hope you enjoy it. More importantly, I hope you take this from it: Doubting yourself doesn’t mean you’re not ready. Doubt is simply what growth feels like before you take the step. Thank you High Performance❤️ Podcast Link: youtu.be/eqdulGrM3wU

A week ago, the @sunderlanduni awarded me an Honorary Doctorate of Sport and I’m still trying to find the words to express my gratitude. I came to the North East to keep chasing a dream and everyday, I get to live it here in Sunderland in a place I am proud to call my home. The City of Sunderland gave me a life I could have only imagined; Special moments, family, & memories that will stay with me forever. To be awarded something so special when i have already received from so much, means more than I can properly explain. I’ll never forget where I started, and I’ll never take for granted where the journey has brought me ❤️🤍 Thank you, Sunderland. For everything.

Thank you @sunderlanduni ❤️🤍 A proud moment for me and my family to receive this honorary degree from a city that means so much to us. I’m truly grateful and will continue to represent Sunderland with everything I have.

EUROPA LEAGUE was never the dream. Not because I didn’t want it. Because if I’m being honest, I never thought it was possible. What kid would? Especially when 12 years ago I was playing non league football in the Ryman Premier and Conference South, just trying to stay alive in the game. What kid dreams about Europe when, two weeks into the off season, his dad has to tell him he’s been released by Watford F.C. over the phone? I was heartbroken. My dad looked at me and said: “What are we doing tomorrow?” To which I replied with the words he’d drilled into me my whole life: “We’re training, Dad.” So we trained. Every single day. My dad emailed every EFL club asking for an opportunity. One club replied. One. That was all I needed. An opportunity. @WealdstoneFC and @wwfcofficial , I’ll always be indebted to you. Then came the move to @SunderlandAFC . A massive club. A massive opportunity. And I couldn’t wait to prove myself. But 45 minutes into my debut… hooked. “Rabbit caught in headlights. Waste of money. Get rid.” Then came the Championship. “He’s not good enough for this level.” Then the Premier League. “Let’s give him a debut and then get rid of him.” I understood the doubt. I’ve faced it my whole career. And truthfully, you doubt yourself too at times. But I’ve always tried to live by one mindset: Outwork your doubt. You don’t always need to see the full journey. You just need to take the next step. Then the next one. And then another. Even when social media tells you you’re not good enough. Even when the voice inside your own head whispers the same thing. Keep working. Keep learning. Keep showing up. Because sometimes the places you end up are bigger than anything your younger self could’ve ever imagined. To any young player reading this, don’t put a ceiling on yourself too early. You genuinely have no idea where this game and life can take you. And to the boys… thank you. You removed the glass ceiling I’d placed on myself. What a team. What a club. What a fanbase. Sunderland… rocking all over Europe ❤️🤍 And in the words of Granit Xhaka: “This is just the beginning.”

Forgettable moment: Luke O’Nien puts a free header out for a ‘THROW IN’ #SAFC

Really enjoyable afternoon at the SOL on Sunday ❤️🤍 We keep building together 🧱⚽️

Chris Rigg & The whole of Sunderland after 10 minutes… Swipe right for 90 minutes 😉 Winning at St James’ Park… special. Knowing what it means to this city ❤️🤍 That makes it even bigger 🥹 But if I’m honest… I had to do it the hard way. 10 minutes in… mistake. And in that moment, you feel like the ground could swallow you up. Like you’ve let down a whole city. That feeling is real. And it’s horrendous. But this is where the work kicks in. For years I’ve worked on my mindset for moments like this and it’s something I now try to pass on to the young players we mentor through Inner Game Academy. Breathe. Self talk. Next action. Not “why did I do that?” Not “what are people thinking?” Just… next action. It all sounds simple in theory. Putting it into practice in moments like that is the hard part. Every player makes mistakes. The best players don’t dwell. They respond. I’m so proud of this team. They had my back when I needed it most. And after the error, they kept demanding from me and from each other relentlessly. To win it in the 90th minute at St James’… That’s one I will never forget ❤️🤍 P.s. Why are there loads of empty seats in the background?

To any young kid reading this… I’ve doubted myself in every league I’ve ever played in. Ryman Prem. Conference South. League Two. League One. Championship… And even right before my first Premier League start last night. That’s not weakness. That’s being human. That’s being alive. When I was growing up, I thought Premier League players were superhuman. Like they never felt doubt. Like they never felt nerves. The truth is…. it’s often the opposite. Social media won’t tell you that sometimes you step out there with no confidence. That’s normal. That’s ok! You now have to then step out there with courage. Confidence feels good. Courage doesn’t. But you do it anyway. Show courage enough times…. You build confidence. Here’s the mindset that’s carried me for 31 years. When it goes well: I worked for it. I earned it. Well done. Watch it back. Get better. When it doesn’t: I know I prepared the best I could. It didn’t go exactly to plan. That’s football. But Well done. Watch it back. Get better. That simple recipe gave me a special moment last night. Leading the team out. Playing alongside a group that fights for every ball. Celebrates tackles. Gives everything for the city of Sunderland. And sharing it with supporters who never gave up, even after four tough seasons in League One. So if you’re a young player feeling doubt… Low confidence… Or like you don’t believe in yourself… You’re not alone. Every player feels it. Confidence isn’t something you’re given. It’s something you build. Bit by bit. Day by day. With courage. With work. With learning. Anything worth building takes time. But that’s what makes it so worthwhile! Thank you @SunderlandAFC ❤️🤍

Thank you @SunderlandAFC Fans ❤️ Into the 🎩 tonight… Let’s keep building with this incredible team 🧱⚽️

Last summer I found myself sitting in a room in Switzerland surrounded by world leaders from completely different industries, all talking about the future of our planet. A very different environment to what I was used to! I was invited onto to a channel to give my take on leadership with my best mate and brother Jay. We talked about leadership and what it meant to us both. I always used to think leaders were born but it’s far from the truth…. They are made. My biggest realisation was that we talk a lot about leadership like it’s confidence and certainty. Like leaders always know what to do. The truth is they don’t… and that’s ok. But good leaders will go seek out better answers and grow. While poor leaders will leave it to someone else to do or turn a blind eye. The day made me realise most of my growth has come from failing. I try to lead with my best intentions, but upon reflection or feedback, I realise there was a better way to do it and then next time…. I lead better and the process repeats! And that day forced me to look at myself properly. As for me, leadership isn’t a title, or being a CEO or having an armband. It’s influence. And that’s the scary part, because everyone has it. Even my two young kids. Every morning before school I tell them the same thing: Be the sunshine in the room ☀️ Because whether we like it or not, we’re leading every single day. In the changing room. At home. In how we speak. In how we react when things don’t go our way. We’re either having a positive impact or a negative one. And that choice sits with us. For the Full interview, hit the link👇 m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj4ckM…

The referee’s about to blow the final whistle at Wembley. Noise everywhere. Chaos waiting to erupt. Sunderland seconds from getting back to the Premier League. And in that tiny moment before it all explodes when everything goes quiet in your own head, Dan Neil puts his arm around me and says: “Luke… lift it with me. It wouldn’t feel right unless you’re right next to me.” That hit me 🥹 A lad who grew up dreaming of this club. Who carried its weight when things weren’t easy. Who became captain not by shouting but by how he shows up every single day. He didn’t have to say that. No one would’ve questioned it. But that’s Dan ladies and gents! Humble in the biggest moment of his life. Aware of the people beside him. Grounded enough to share what he’d earned. That’s leadership. That’s character. That’s why this club is back where it belongs. Proud doesn’t even cover it. An unbelievable footballer, but an even better man. Dan Neil… thank you my friend…. For everything ❤️🤍

❤️🤍

Into the 🎩 we go‼️ That away end… simply special ❤️ Ha’way the lads ⚽️

8 seasons. We rebuilt. We returned. And now… Derby Day winners. This team knows what it means. This city deserves it ❤️ Thank you boys 🥹