Tottenham star Richarlison has confessed that he almost killed himself after Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Recall that Richarlison scored three goals as Brazil’s starting forward at the World Cup in Qatar, with his scissor kick against Serbia in the group stage-winning goal of the tournament.
However, in an interview with ESPN Brasil, he said that he suffered from depression in the aftermath of the tournament, which almost made him take his life.
‘I’d just played in a World Cup, man, at my peak,’ Richarlison said. ‘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.
‘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.
‘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’.
*Culled from Leadership newspaper.
