Augusto Batalla on depression: “I drank wine to help me sleep” | OneFootball

For years, Augusto Batalla remained silent about an internal process that marked his life. Today, from his present at Rayo Vallecano, the Argentine goalkeeper decided to share his story in an interview with El Chiringuito, where he openly discussed depression, emotional isolation, and his path to rebuilding.

The River Plate graduate and former San Lorenzo captain explained that unmet goals and early pressure were determining factors in his emotional downfall. Although he managed to debut and become a champion with the Millonario, he felt he did not meet his own objectives. “When I was young, Real Madrid came looking for me, but I chose to stay. I couldn't maintain myself, and that's why I say I failed: because they were my goals and I didn't achieve them.”

Poorly managed emotions, combined with mistakes on the field, ended up affecting his personal life. “Being young, I didn't understand what it meant to be in that goal. I reacted poorly on the field and off it as well,” he admitted. That instability forced him to rebuild from another place, away from the spotlight of the big clubs.

The media pressure and constant demands also played their part. For Batalla, the system leaves no room for error: “These clubs don't wait for you. Only performance matters. I suffered because it was what I wanted most, but they also made me suffer publicly.”

In his closest circle, support was present, although voluntary isolation worsened his emotional situation. “I shut myself away, I didn't want to see anyone. You form a shell thinking it protects you, but it's quite the opposite. That's when you understand how important it is to ask for help,” he reflected.

The breaking point came when he was playing in Chile, far from his family and after having been a starter at River. “I found myself alone, in a small club, and I asked myself: ‘What happened from the top to here?’. That's when I decided I needed professional help.” From then on, he began intense work with a psychologist, a physical trainer, and trusted people who supported him.

Depression also manifested in harmful habits: “I was twenty years old and needed two glasses of wine to sleep. Then I slept poorly, rested poorly, and started the day poorly. It becomes a difficult cycle to break,” he recounted, emphasizing the importance of breaking that vicious circle.

Batalla made it clear that moving forward is not easy, but it is possible with help and courage. “Going to a psychologist is not for the weak. You need a lot of guts to deal with what hurts. And that's where you find your truth,” he stated. Today, he feels he has been able to rebuild both professionally and personally: “I am happy to have walked that path,” he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.