Tottenham and Brazil striker Richarlison has opened up on his battle against depression following the 2022 World Cup, and admitted he wanted to “give up”.
The former Everton man is now on the road to recovery having sought out psychiatric help but conceded he was in a dark place after the tournament in Qatar 18 months ago.
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He told ESPN Brasil: “Before I went to training, I wanted to go home, I wanted to go back to my room because, I don’t know what was going through my head.
“I even went and told my dad I was going to give up.
“It’s kind of sad to talk like that, you know? What I went through after the World Cup, discovering things here at home from people who had lived with me for over seven years … It is crazy.
“To go to my father, who was the guy who chased my dream with me, and say, ‘Dad, I want to give up,’ is crazy.”
The 26-year-old had an impressive World Cup, scoring three goals in four games, but the team made a disappointing quarter-final exit.
“I’d just played in a World Cup, man, at my peak,” he added. “I was reaching my limit, you know? 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.
“Even I, who seemed to be mentally strong. After the World Cup it seemed like it all fell apart.
“I think the therapist, like it or not, saved me, saved my life. I only thought rubbish … Even on Google, I only searched for rubbish, I only wanted to see rubbish about death.”
Richarlison opens up about his depression after the 2022 World Cup and how therapy helped him ❤️ pic.twitter.com/YdAwSULrYp
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 27, 2024
Richarlison has enjoyed a good season with Spurs, scoring 11 goals in all competitions, and attributes the improvement in his mental health to his relationship with his counsellor.
“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 said.
“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.”
