It would be naïve to reduce a footballer who achieved as much as Sol Campbell to one single decision in his life.

After all, he's a two-time Premier League and FA Cup winner, a Champions League finalist, a 73-cap England international and a core member of Arsenal's legendary Invincibles side. 

Nonetheless, the fact remains that very few players have shown the fearlessness to move across North London's footballing divide, and even less have done it in the manner Campbell did - at the height of his career, as the captain of Tottenham and by way of a self-imposed free transfer. 

Clearly Campbell is a unique individual, or at least one of a unique mental fortitude, and therefore his views on high performance come with a naturally heightened intrigue. 

Fittingly coinciding with North London derby weekend, Campbell sat down with Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes to discuss high performance from his perspective. 

Here, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at four takeaways from the High Performance Podcast's latest episode...

Sacrifice and commitment

Throughout HPP's many previous episodes, there's a running debate over it's healthy to view struggle as an inevitable part of success. Likewise, while some individuals intrinsically value a level of balance in their life, others have reached their goals by focusing on them almost exclusively.

Campbell, though, clearly believes in the value of dedication. When asked what high performance is to him, the former Arsenal defender replied...

"For me, high performance is sacrifice. So many people want to get to the top, they speak about it. They say all the right things, but there's a lot more to it behind the scenes. You've got to really [have] that commitment."

Campbell explains this can be done in different ways. While some may indeed block out almost all other factors and life experiences to hone in on what they want to achieve, others will do it with the close support of family and friends. Either way, though, he insists you must be committed and prepared to sacrifice to reach your goals. 

Hard work and doing extras

It's a common theme that emerges when footballers talk on the High Performance Podcast and indeed elsewhere - those that get to the very top, more often than not, tend to be the ones that train more than their team-mates or, in Campbell's own words, do 'extras'. These are the activities footballers do outside of regular training to improve on their craft and gain an advantage over rivals - whether that's at other clubs or inside their own. 

Campbell details how, as a youngster, he responded to being way behind the rest of his team-mates in long-distance fitness by doing extra work on his speed and endurance, and when the club did a fitness test three months later, he'd shot up to joint-third in the team's ranking - much to the dismay of the rest of the locker room. 

He also explained that at top clubs, putting in additional work is very much the norm. 

"I think when you're in a top side, everyone's doing extras. Because if you don't do extras, you look like the odd one out. That's how I saw it. At Tottenham, some did extras, some wouldn't do extras. When I was at Arsenal, nearly everyone did extras."

Remembering how far you've come

When asked about how he dealt with mental struggles throughout his career, which were no doubt constant for a black footballer playing at the very top of the game, Campbell revealed a simple but unique coping mechanism of remembering how far he'd already come in his life. 

Having grown up in a rough part of Stratford, any mental challenges Campbell faced were quickly offset by the fact he'd risen from poverty-stricken streets to being one of the top defenders in the world. 

Of course, very few people will have a journey of progress as great as Campbell's to comfort themselves with, but the message is transferrable to almost anybody - count your blessings and be proud of what you've already achieved. 

Perhaps more interesting is how this wasn't just a psychological progress for Campbell, but a physical one too. He explained that he would often 'reboot' by returning to where he grew up.

"I used to actually drive back there and walk at my local park, West Ham park, walk around and just try to kind of settle myself down and put my feet back on the ground, and just walk around the terrace houses and around the estates. I just simplified it and it happened throughout my life. And I just kept on doing that. I would always go back home and just kind of reboot."

Racism in football

Racism, or racial bias, in football is a subject very close to Campbell's heart. Jake Humphrey explained on the podcast that the former England star feels he would've become permanent national team captain were it not for the colour of his skin.

Likewise, while Frank Lampard was given a huge chance at Chelsea after just one season in charge at Derby County, Campbell's really struggled to find management opportunities despite his quality and experience as a player. His only jobs so far have come at Macclesfield and Southend. 

Campbell, however, does believe that things are changing for the better in football and now wants to see fans champion the cause. 

"The diversity and mentality is changing. The hierarchy makeup has probably not changed as much, but the mentality is changing. I think the next step is the fans to start a change in the ways of who they would like at their football club and things like that, because they're a big part.

"And understand talent is not just held by colour. Talent is held by whoever and if you are overlooking someone because of his colour, you missing out on a great manager who can quite easily come into your club and be successful and be amazing.

"And at the same time, it might not work out, but don't stop yourself employing or opening up to that idea of someone of colour managing your football club. It's so archaic."

For more incredibly insightful interviews with elite sportsmen, women and entrepreneurs, make sure you subscribe to the High Performance Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-high-performance-podcast/id1500444735