Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo has explained how suffering from anxiety and depression for over a year led to him taking a break from football last November.
Araújo, who said he feels like a different person after realising he needed help, asked Barça to take a mental health break after being sent off in the Champions League defeat to Chelsea earlier this season.
The Uruguay international says that moment at Stamford Bridge was when he realised he needed to seek support from professionals.
“It was an accumulation of things,” Araújo told Mundo Deportivo of his decision to request time off. “I had not been well for a while. I had anxiety for 18 months and it became depression.
“You try to be strong, maybe because of the roots you have, where you come from, to move forward, but I did not feel good.
“It was not just related to sport, it was also on a family and personal level. I didn’t feel myself and that moment [the red card at Chelsea] served as a click to say: ‘Something is happening, I need to ask for help.’
“I am the type of person that usually keeps everything to myself, but you have to understand there are professionals that can help you, that can give you the tools to manage certain situations. I needed to ask for help and explain what I was going through to be able to recover.”
During his time out, Araújo traveled to religious sites in Bethlehem and Jerusalem and spent time back in Uruguay with his family.
He returned to Barça training in January, making four substitute appearances that month before scoring on his first start since taking a mental health break in last week’s 2-1 Copa del Rey quarterfinal win at Albacete.
“I have learned a lot in this time,” he said. “I feel different, happier. I can enjoy what I do, which is play football, and that helps a lot.
“You see things from another point of view. I feel that the worst has now passed. During the time I stopped, I was able to work with professionals, with my family, too, and also [travel] spiritually, which was what I needed. I feel a different person.”
Araújo also thanked the club for their support, while revealing he has been inundated with messages from other players who have found themselves in similar situations.
“The club were spectacular,” he said. “I am so grateful to [sporting director] Deco, the president [Joan Laporta] and the boss [Hansi Flick].
“From the very first moment, they understood the situation and did everything they could to help me recover.
“My teammates as well, the amount of messages and support I got from them was beautiful, but also from rivals, which surprised me. Players from teams in Italy, Germany … all praising me for stopping, some because they had passed through similar situations and wished they had done the same but they hadn’t had the courage. They said not to feel bad because what I had done was tremendous.”
Araújo has been at Barcelona since 2018, initially joining the B team before being promoted to the first team.
He has subsequently made 195 appearances for Barça in all competitions, scoring 14 goals, and he is now part of the leadership group along with Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Pedri.
