In an interview, Paul Pogba has spoken about depression during his career. He said that depression started under José Mourinho.
“I’ve been through it, but you don’t talk about it,” the Manchester United midfielder told French newspaper Le Figaro in an interview.
The mental problems started for him “when I was under José Mourinho at Manchester. You ask yourself questions. You ask yourself if you are flawed because you have never experienced moments like this in your life,” Pogba said. The relationship between him and Mourinho was always tense, amounting to a power struggle. In September 2018, the Portuguese coach even dropped Pogba as vice-captain.
The French World Cup winner had moved from Juventus Turin to Manchester United in 2016 for the then record transfer fee of 105 million euros. He played there under Mourinho until December 2018.
“Sometimes you don’t know you have depression, you just want to isolate yourself, be all alone. Those are signs that are not deceiving,” the 29-year-old said. You are judged every three days, you always have to be good, “even though you have worries like everyone, whether that’s with your partners, with your coach or in your everyday life,” Pogba said. “But you can’t say it, at least not publicly. If you don’t have a thick skin mentally, you’re dead in this sport.” All competitive athletes would know such moments, “but few talk about it. “
Money does not prevent difficult moments
In addition, the argument that professional footballers, with their sometimes exorbitantly high million-dollar salaries, have to endure the pressure is not correct. “We earn a lot and we really don’t complain, but that doesn’t prevent us from going through difficult moments like everyone. Because you earn money, you’re supposed to be happy all the time? It’s not like that in life. But in football it doesn’t pass. We are not superheroes, we are just human beings,” said Pogba.
