Juventus, Danilo’s shock confession
Juventus, Danilo’s shock confession
Days before his Copa America debut, Brazil and Juventus captain Danilo wrote a long letter to 'The Players Tribune' in which he confessed that he was one step away from retirement: "I am human. I have not always been at my best. During my first season at Real Madrid I felt depressed. I felt lost, useless. On the field, I couldn’t make a five-meter pass. Off the field, it was as if I couldn’t even move. My passion for soccer had disappeared and I could not see a way out".
"I didn't see myself anymore as Baianinho, the son of Baiano (è that's what they call my dad's) – continued the Juventus defender -. I saw myself as Danilo, the one who had 'signed a 31 million contract' as the newspapers reported. When we played against Alavés, a few months after the season started, Theo Hernández stole the ball from me and crossed for Deyverson who scored. We won 4-1, but it was a mistake you canòt make at Real Madrid. I will never forget coming home that night and not being able to sleep. I wrote in my diary: I think it is time to give up soccer. I was 24 years old".
"I did not tell anyone how I felt. Casemiro tried to help me, but I 'swallowed the toad', as they say. And the toad è became bigger and bigger. But after a few months of suffering, I started seeing a psychologist who really saved my career. The most important lesson he taught me è was to see the game through the eyes of a child. I had to remember my roots and the joy of playing soccer not for fame or money, but for fun. If my career è was saved at that time, I have a few people to thank: my therapists and my sons. My two boys".
"After the pandemic and the exit from the World Cup I could have relapsed. I could have said, 'Okay, I had a good career. But I have already reached my peak. Now I can relax'. But I did the opposite. I started talking to my therapist every day, reading more, challenging myself to be a better leader. And è that’s when everything è lit up for me. When I received the captain’s armband at Juventus è it was a great honor. But when I received Brazil’s, è it was something different. An immense, incomparable honor" concluded Danilo.
