At the end of 2022, everything was going well for Richarlison. Triple scorer in the World Cup with Brazil, of which he had been one of the best players despite the early elimination of Auriverde, transferred to Tottenham, the striker was breaking the glass ceiling which prevented him from reaching the milestone of the very best. Then everything collapsed.
His loss of confidence in the field was accompanied by sometimes very harsh criticism, which, coupled with personal problems – notably the separation from his long-time agent against a backdrop of financial losses – pushed him into a deep depression, which ‘he tells at the microphone of ESPN. This made him want to give up everything.
“To go to my father, who pursued this dream with me for years, and say to him, ‘Dad, I want to give up,’ it’s just crazy. I had just played in a World Cup. And I felt like I had reached my limits. »
“The psychologist saved my life”
“I’m not going to talk to you about suicide, but… I was depressed,” admits the Brazilian international, who tried hard to save what little he could, namely appearances. “Even though I seemed mentally strong, everything fell apart. » And to explain how much he had sunk into the darkness. “I only had dark thoughts in my head. Even on Google I was only looking for stuff like that, about death. »
It is to his psychologist that Richarlison owes his salvation. “He saved my life”, does not hesitate to say the Brazilian, who takes the opportunity to break the clichés about mental health. “If you need to go see a psychologist, go see a psychologist because it’s good for you to be able to open up, to talk to someone. […] It saves lives. I had reservations before, I told myself that it was useless. Even in my family I have people who think that if someone goes to see a psychologist, they are crazy. But I tried it and I just found it wonderful. It’s just the most beautiful discovery I’ve made in my life. »