Thierry Henry and other football stars who battled mental health issues

Football is one of the sports with a lot of pressure. The press and fans constantly expect top performances from top players, and this pressure can sometimes take its toll on players, who are just people like everyone else.

Here is a list of top footballers who have been candid about their mental problems, during or after their careers.

Thierry Henry is considered one of the best strikers of all time, but only realised after his career that he had mental problems as a footballer, due to the pressure of his critical father.

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"Throughout my career, and since I was born, I must have been in depression," he told the Diary of a CEO podcast. "Did I know it? No. Did I do something about it? No. But I adapted to a certain way. That doesn’t mean I’m walking straight, but I’m walking. You’ve got to put one foot [forward] and another one, and walk. That’s what I’ve been told since I’m young."

The pandemic hit Henry hard, and he suffered mentally, when working at Montreal Impact. "I was in isolation in Montreal, and not being able to see my kids for a year was tough," he said. "Tears were coming alone. Why I don’t know, but maybe they were there for a very long time. Technically, it wasn’t me, it was the young me [crying for] everything he didn’t get: approval."

Jan Vertonghen has talked about suffering mental health problems when he was still playing at Tottenham. The defender said it all started after the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Ajax in 2019.

Vertonghen sustained a concussion after clashing with former team-mate Toby Alderweireld and Ajax goalie Andre Onana. In the months after the incident, the Belgian complained about dizziness and headaches and felt mentally unwell, he told Belgian podcast Mid Mid. "I went to almost all specialists, but no explanation was found," Vertonghen explained. "'Now, when I see photos from that time, I immediately see that something was wrong. That my eyes were different. I was also often "down"."

Vertonghen did not want to open up about the issue at the time, because he was afraid it could impact his career. "My contract was expiring, if I said I had mental problems, I didn’t know what that would mean for other clubs."

Andrés Iniesta was one of the best players of his generation, but even the world-class midfielder was not immune to mental health problems. The Spaniard said it all started after the sudden passing of Espanyol player and his friend Dani Jarque, he told the podcast The Wild Project in 2022.

"When I was battling depression, the best moment of the day was when I took my pills and went to bed. I lost the will to live, I’d hug my wife and it felt like hugging a pillow, I didn’t feel anything," Iniesta said. The former FC Barcelona player has sought professional help. "I’ve stayed in therapy because I need to make peace with myself."

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Gianluigi Buffon has also been candid about mental issues, talking about his struggles with depression while at Juventus. "For a few months, everything lost meaning," he told Vanity Fair. "It was a very difficult time. I was 25 years old and at the highest point of my career."

Buffon felt he was just seen as a football player. "It seemed like no-one cared about me, just the footballer I represented. It was like everyone was asking about Buffon and nobody about Gigi," explained the Italian, who never hid his feelings. "I was never afraid to show my emotions or to cry. We should not be ashamed to do that."

Another player who has been open about his mental problems is Jesse Lingard, who struggled at Manchester United in 2020 and reverted to alcohol. "Literally, I just wanted to sit at home and drink a little bit – try and take the pain away," he opened up to the Guardian.

At the time, he had to take care of his siblings, because his mother had to have medical care.  On top of that, he was abused by fans after an FA Cup match against Derby County. "'I just felt so much scrutiny, especially after the Derby game and I was getting abuse as I got on the bus," he said. "Nobody really knew about my struggles off the pitch so they think "You're a footballer, you live in a nice house, you've got money, you can deal with anything." But when it's someone's health and well being – it's a different situation. We're all human."

Former Chelsea star Christian Pulisic has also admitted to having suffered mental health problems, for which he sought professional help. "When it’s all on you it can really feel like a lot," Pulisic told Chelsea's YouTube channel. "Personally, during this time, I reached out to a therapist and it’s not something anyone should be ashamed of."

"It’s something that can help talk about the way that you’re feeling," he continued. "Sometimes just expressing how you feel to somebody else can help you so much. It’s something I’ve done personally and seen other people do. Getting it off your chest, speaking about it is something that can go a long way."

Michael Carrick enjoyed a fine career at Tottenham and Manchester United, but after the Champions League final loss against Barcelona in 2009 the midfielder hit rock bottom, he said in his autobiography, 'Between the Lines'. At the time, he even wanted to leave the 2010 World Cup. "I wasn't enjoying playing for England, I didn't want to go away with England and I was having a hard time at United - I was playing awfully. That drives it because everything I gave was to be as good as I possibly could for United," he explained to Sky Sports News.

"I can sit here and talk about it now, I'm not ashamed of it," Carrick went on. "I've got no clear reason why I got to that stage, it was just a lot of little things and in the end my football suffered for it and I suffered for it."

Ronaldo Nazario is one of the best or perhaps the best striker in football history. However, despite all the money and fame, the Brazilian experienced metal difficulties after his successful playing career, for which his sought help. "Today, I am in therapy. I have been in therapy for two and a half years and I understand myself much better than before," he told Marca in 2022.

Ronaldo felt that his generation could have used some more guidance. "I’m from a generation in which you were thrown into the arena and you had to do your best without the slightest hint of drama. I look back and I see that yes, we were exposed to a very, very big mental strain and without any preparation for it," he thinks.

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'The Phenomenon' thinks a lot has improved in the game of football. "Today players are much better prepared, they are given the medical attention they need to face the day to day, and players are studied more: the profiles of each player, how they react, how they should react," the Brazilian added. "In my time there was none of that, unfortunately, because we have known all our lives that soccer can cause a lot of stress and be very decisive for the rest of our lives."