Fascinating testimony that that of Edinson Cavani at the Spanish website Relevo, this Friday. The former PSG striker, now in Valence, tells the length of his career, what he looks for in his job and what sets him apart from others, but also what a football player can feel and the sometimes complicated relationship with the performance obligation. He thus reveals that he has been following therapy for many years, knowing full well that this remains a taboo subject in his sport. “Mental health is fundamental and in football it is lacking,” he said in particular.
The first time he became aware of this aspect was in the PSG jersey, after the famous comeback against Barça (6-1) in 2017. “In five minutes, everything we had done was is collapsed. It was a big shock, which you cannot control, which reaches other parts of your body, with symptoms of anxiety, cold sweats. I was scared before falling asleep, he says. I wondered if I had a problem in my head, I spoke to the PSG doctor about it and he told me that it happened to a lot of people, in very different fields. I understood that I was not a superhero. »
“It’s a lie to fight to always be the best”
Clear-sighted, the Uruguayan puts his finger on a widespread problem in his generation, namely an education that does not leave the place it should have for deep feelings. “We grew up with these parents who tell you not to cry, that you can’t relax or express your emotions. Since you can’t show weakness, you’re made into a shell that makes you think you’re stronger than everyone else, he observes. You can’t always manage everything, help the family, score every Sunday. »
Cavani has learned a good lesson from all of this: it is not much use to believe that you are the best in the world on all fronts. “We all need everyone, life is a wheel,” said the 35-year-old. It’s a lie to fight to always be the best. There will always be someone above you, who has or knows more than you, who is more beautiful than you, etc. Amen.