The Beautiful Game of Infection Prevention: Can leadership lessons from the world of soccer help?

The central theme of this episode is that some of the most valuable lessons in healthcare leadership can be found on the football pitch. Drawing on his paper, Pitch Perfect: Healthcare Leadership Lessons from Lionel Messi and the World Cup, infectious diseases physician and healthcare epidemiologist Professor Gonzalo Bearman joins Martin Kiernan to explore what the beautiful game can teach us about leading infection prevention and control teams.

From Lionel Messi’s ability to conserve energy, read the game and deliver at the right moment, to Pep Guardiola’s philosophy that great leaders make others better, we discuss how to nurture talent, prevent burnout, build cohesive multidisciplinary teams and create an environment where everyone feels able to contribute.

The conversation also explores the importance of listening, learning from failure, making difficult decisions and knowing when to challenge the status quo. Should healthcare leaders play it safe, or have the courage to innovate and play to win?

Whether you lead an infection prevention service, work in healthcare epidemiology or are interested in developing your leadership skills, this episode offers a fresh perspective on teamwork, resilience and getting the best out of people. Because great leadership isn’t about being the star player. It’s about making the whole team better.

Link to the paper we discuss: Bearman G. Pitch perfect: healthcare leadership lessons from Lionel Messi and the World Cup. Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology 2026;6(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/ash.2026.10901.