Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri admitted some of his players have suffered from ‘severe depression’ following the COVID pandemic and highlighted the help being provided.
Mental health in football has become an important talking point in recent years and the stigma of seeking help from professionals has started to shrink, with many players now open about their personal struggles.
Many players in Serie A have overcome mental health struggles in their careers, with examples including Gianluigi Buffon and Francesco Totti, and clubs are now starting to provide greater avenues of career.
Speaking at a Foce project presentation via TMW, Allegri discussed Juventus’ work in areas of mental health, being honest about the issues his players face.
“In both the youth system and the first team we have professionals working on the mental aspect.
“There are boys, even as young as 14 years old, who had severe depression in the post-COVID era, and we absolutely have to work on that.
“There have been much more serious mental problems than before COVID and we, as Juventus, are working on it a lot.”
Former Atalanta forward Josip Ilicic was a public case of a player stepping away from football due to mental health concerns. He took a long break in the second half of the 2021-22 season before leaving Italy to return to his native Slovenia.