"Not speaking out can kill", Umtiti opens up on his depression | OneFootball

"Not speaking can kill," acknowledges Samuel Umtiti, world champion with France in 2018, who opened up about his depression in a documentary on young people's mental health that will be shown in cinemas in Paris in December.

"Loneliness is something very strong, which can really kill a person. Not speaking can kill. That's what happened to me for months and months. I felt like I was there without being there," recalls the scorer of France's winning goal against Belgium (1-0) in the 2018 World Cup semifinal.

After pushing his knee too hard to secure the title in Russia, Umtiti suffered an injury that affected him psychologically.

"I was totally in a depression, unable to put words together. Everyone thought I was happy because I was making money, but what interested me was the human aspect and playing football, and I had neither," he explained.

The defender gave his testimony to the documentary "Têtes plongeantes: faire équipe pour la santé mentale" ("Downcast: teamwork for mental health," in free translation), directed by Lenny Grossman, which will be shown on December 2 on various YouTube channels, as well as in cinemas in Paris and other French cities.

In 56 minutes, emotional testimonies from teenagers, some of them after suicide attempts, are interspersed with words from football stars. Former Real Madrid player Raphaël Varane also confesses in the film that he was going through depression when he signed with the Spanish club at 18.

Other French world champion players, who founded the charity organization Genération 2018, such as Olivier Giroud, Blaise Matuidi, and Djibril Sidibé, also appear in the documentary.

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