DBasia.news – World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10. Mental health is important, mental health disorders have also been felt by professional footballers.
For too long the subject of mental health in soccer has been described as “stigmatized”. But in reality, many professional footballers suffer from depression and anxiety, even higher than the general public.
Looking back, there are many examples of cases of players who were later known to suffer from mental health disorders. One of the earliest known players was Agostino Di Bartolomei, who suffered from clinical depression after retiring from professional football.
Di Bartolomei finally committed suicide by shooting himself in his villa at San Marco in Castellabate, on May 30, 1994, ten years after his former club Roma lost the Champions Cup final to Liverpool.
In the 2000s, the name of Paul Gascoigne emerged who struggled with depression after losing his place in the first team through injury. In April 2003, Gascoigne flew to the United States for treatment against alcoholism and depression.
The tragic event came from Robert Enke, who committed suicide after a long depression in November 2009, at the age of 32. Five years after Enke’s death, his wife stated that he believed depression in sports was no longer taboo.
On November 27, 2011, Gary Speed died hanging himself. In September 2018, Speed’s wife said she found a letter written by her husband. The letter indicated that Speed had suffered from long-term depression.
Another player known to suffer from depression is Sebastian Deisler. The player who had strengthened the German national team was hospitalized after not being able to handle the pressure. Deisler finally retired at the age of 27 years.
In November 2008, legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon revealed in his autobiography “Numero 1” that he suffered from depression between December 2003 and June 2004. Buffon revealed that during this time he routinely met with psychologists to overcome his depression.
Buffon also revealed that due to his depression, he often suffered panic attacks during the beginning of his career with Juventus.
In May 2017, Aaron Lennon was detained under the Mental Health Act. The player who has strengthened Tottenham Hotspur must undergo treatment for stress-related illness.
In June 2018, England international player, Danny Rose, stated that he had been diagnosed with depression. A few months later Michael Carrick announced that he had suffered depression for two years after losing the 2009 Champions League Final.
Depression also descended on a successful player with Barcelona, Andres Iniesta. Iniesta revealed that he suffered depression before the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to injury and the death of his best friend Daniel Jarque.
In June 2019, former Arsenal player Emmanuel Eboue spoke of his struggle against mental health.