Jérémy Mathieu recounts four years of depression after retiring

Jérémy Mathieu says he went through four years of depression after leaving football. The former Barcelona and Valencia player traces the start of that difficult period to a cruciate ligament rupture, which distanced him from other people and took away his passion for the game. He ended his career in 2020.

Mathieu describes a sudden end brought about by the circumstances of his injury. “I stopped playing in 2020 after rupturing my cruciate ligament. Everything ended suddenly; I was wearing a knee brace and couldn’t do much, then I entered a spiral of psychological suffering and became depressed. There’s no reason to hide it,” he explains. His account shows how difficult it can be to move from the demands of a sporting career to life without professional football.

For much of the time, he stayed at home and went out only briefly. Television and his phone filled his days, while football no longer held his attention. “I wasn’t even interested in football any more. I would watch the first half and, if it ended in a draw, I’d change the channel,” he says. Mathieu also describes a period of stagnation and isolation, wandering aimlessly around his home in a cycle of boredom and distress.

Starting a job at Intersport two years ago became a turning point. Mathieu says the work helped him regain energy and reconnect with other people. “Work helped me get my vitality back, rebuild a social life and, ultimately, come back to life,” he says. He describes the return to work as a moment of awakening after a difficult period.

His account also includes the anger he feels when people judge his personal situation; he says he has sometimes wanted to answer them harshly. Mathieu’s experience highlights how retirement can require some players to adjust to a life far removed from competition and the spotlight, and how rebuilding psychological and social balance may take time.