Iniesta drama: “The best time was when I was taking pills.”

Former Barcelona midfielder Iniesta on depression: “I had lost the will to live.”

Former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta in an interview with “The Wild Project” podcast talked about his long struggle with depression, which struck him at the height of his career in 2009.

A number of injuries and the death of his friend Dani Jarquez, a defender at Espanyol, had upset him: “It was like being hit by a very strong punch that knocked me down, I felt myself sinking. When I was fighting depression, the best time of the day was when I took the pills and went to bed. I had lost the will to live. I used to hug my wife, but it was like hugging a pillow: I felt nothing.”

Then the long ascent: “It’s been a decade since I entered the depressive tunnel, but I keep going to therapy because I need to control myself. I am happy when professionals talk about mental illness and depression. Over time, life teaches you that they can affect anyone.”