Tottenham Hotspur and Brazil forward Richarlison has opened up on his depression following the 2022 World Cup, saying he “wanted to give up”.
Richarlison, 26, was Brazil’s leading scorer in the tournament with three goals in four appearances as his nation were eliminated by Croatia at the quarter-final stage.
In an emotional interview with ESPN Brasil, Richarlison said that he told his father he wanted to “give up” after struggling to motivate himself to leave his room and attend training sessions, with the World Cup exit feeling “worse than losing a family member”. He said he has since attended therapy sessions, which he believes helped “save my life”.
Richarlison also spoke about the pressure and expectations on him after being handed Brazil’s famed No 9 shirt for the tournament and tasked with being their primary goal threat.
“I was reaching my limit, you know?” Richarlison said. “I don’t know, I’m not going to talk about killing myself, but I was in a depression there, and I wanted to give up.”
The former Watford and Everton man initially said in September that he was struggling with off-pitch issues and that he would “seek psychological help”. Earlier this month, Richarlison spoke about the impact of that psychological assistance and called on his fellow footballers to be open to seeking help should they feel they require it.
“Today I can say, look for a psychologist, if you need a psychologist, look for one because it’s nice for you to open up like that, for you to be talking to the person,” he added in his ESPN interview.
“Today a (psychologist) came to thank me for taking this to the world of football, to the world, outside the pitch too, because it is very important and, whether we like it or not, it saves lives.
“I had this prejudice before, I thought it was nonsense, I thought I was crazy. In my family, there are people who think that anyone who goes to a psychologist thinks they are crazy, they think they are insane. But I discovered this and thought it was wonderful. The best thing, really the best discovery I’ve ever had in my life.”
(Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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