Footballer Richarlison from Tottenham opens up about his struggle with depression and how it almost made him give up the sport.

After experiencing heartbreak at the Qatar World Cup, Richarlison, a talented footballer, was ready to give up on the sport altogether. The 26-year-old, who had 48 caps for Brazil, was part of the squad that lost to Croatia in the quarter-finals. This defeat took a toll on his mental health and he found himself struggling with depression. At such a young age, he was considering retiring from football, which was something he never thought he would have to face.

In an interview with ESPN Brasil, Richarlison opened up about his struggles and revealed that even he, who seemed mentally strong, was unable to cope with the aftermath of the World Cup. He shared that he was in a state of depression and had thoughts of giving up on his career. He said, "I'd just played in a World Cup, at my peak. 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." It was a difficult time for him, and he even confided in his father, who had been his biggest supporter throughout his journey, about wanting to quit.

However, Richarlison found the strength to continue and returned to his club, Tottenham, where he faced even more challenges. He revealed that his mind was not in the right place and he struggled to focus during training. He said, "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." He even considered talking to his manager about quitting. It was a dark period for the young footballer, but he was determined to overcome it.

With the support of a therapist, Richarlison was able to recover mentally and get back on track. He credited the therapist for saving his life and said, "I think the therapist, like it or not, saved me, saved my life. I only thought rubbish...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." Despite the challenges, Richarlison bounced back on the field, scoring 10 goals in 23 Premier League games that season.

Recently, he was included in the Brazil squad for friendlies against England and Spain, but was unable to play due to a knee injury. Manager Dorival Junior stated that they were being cautious with Richarlison's return and monitoring his recovery closely. He said, "We are taking all possible care with him so as not to worsen the situation. He is working little by little to get back into better condition, it's still a bit of a slow process." The team is hopeful that Richarlison will be back on the field soon and continue to shine as a player.

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