<br><br><div> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">Ronald Araujo has spoken openly about his mental health issues and his treatment following his sending off at Stamford Bridge on 25 November. The Barça captain highlighted the club's dedication and personified it in sporting director, Deco; coach Hansi Flick and former president Joan Laporta.</p> <span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-md irr-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit irr"> </span></span><span class="content-html"><span class="intext-md hidden-xs hidden-md"> </span></span></span><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Have you ever thought about leaving football?</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">I didn't think about stopping playing, but you think about a lot of things because I didn't feel like myself. I knew that something wasn't working, that my performance wasn't adequate to what I'm capable of doing... That's why you consider many things, but that wasn't the idea. Because I always dreamed of playing football, since I was a child. However, when you lose a little of that enthusiasm for the situations you face, you become frustrated. I would play football even if I wasn't professional. I would do this at home or with my friends. Now I'm lucky because they pay me for it, but football is practically my life. When you don't like it anymore, you know there's a problem.</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs irr-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit irr"> </span></span><span class="content-html"><span class="intext-xs hidden-xs hidden-md"/></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>What was it like when you told Hansi Flick, Deco and Joan Laporta?</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">I spoke to Deco first because he is the sporting director, who is close to us. I told him what was happening to me. At first he was a little surprised, because it's not very common for a Barcelona player to comment on these things, but he accepted it very well, in a very personal way. From the first minute, Deco called the president and the coach. They were spectacular. I'm very grateful to Deco, the president, the coach, also to the people who are there and who may not be seen: Alejandro, Bojan... who are part of our daily lives with us. They were very important. From the first moment they understood and from the club they gave me everything I needed to recover. This is also based on the trust they have in me as a player.</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Specifically Flick, who you describe as a father, how did he react?</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">He took it very personally. He was sad about the situation. Flick knows the conditions I have and it was clear that I wasn't performing to the best of my ability. He knew something was up. From the beginning he sent me messages telling me to recover calmly, that the most important thing was to get over it well. This gives you peace of mind to recover, because you know you have the support of the club, the coach and your teammates.</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Something about Deco or the president that you remember from that moment.</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">They trusted me. That's what they showed. From there, let him work nice and calmly.</p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>What is the role of costumes?</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">Very. After making the decision I had very bad days, I didn't want to get out of bed anymore. It was difficult, because I always dreamed of playing football and now I had to stop. Thank God my wife was fundamental: she has been very strong and supported me. And immediately the messages from my colleagues started, very good messages that lift my spirits. Everyone wrote to me. It was a huge motivation.</p> <span class="content-ad-module "> <span class="content-ad visible-xs roba-container hidden-ad"><span class="ad-unit roba"> </span></span></span><span class="content-related content-border related-double " data-gtm-element-container="modulo-noticias-relacionadas"> <span class="module-supra-title"> <span>Also read</span></span> <span class="related-double-module-container "> </span><span class="related-double-module-container "> </span></span><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>Any special messages from your colleagues that you remember with particular fondness?</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">They were all very good messages. I couldn't keep one. Pedri, Frenkie... Messages of “calm down, recover well and let the titan of always return”. That was really good because you see that they trust you. Because of some football situation that happened, you might think you are failing them, but they remember that they are by your side and encouraged me to recover and get back to being the same as I always was.</p> <span class="dynamic-ad-module "/><p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph"><strong>You also received support from rivals.</strong></p> <p data-gtm-element-container="modulo-texto-link" class="paragraph">This surprised me a lot. When I decided to stop, I didn't imagine what a boom it was, but, of course, we are at Barça. Players from other teams in Italy, Germany... They valued what he did. Some told me they went through the same thing, but kept it to themselves because maybe they were being paid, they were afraid of stopping, of how they would react... Many appreciated what I had done. They told me not to be ashamed, that what I had done was tremendous. Some told me that this was what they wanted to do, but they didn't have the courage. I won't say names. But it gave me a little encouragement.</p> </div><script type="script/gg"> gg.didomi.doWhenConsent(!window.didomiBypass, 'c:facebooka-frU9M5JY', function () { console.log('facebook-ad-def'); !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '682047071976590'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); }); </script>