Corinthians striker stresses importance of mental work in football | OneFootball

Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto gave an interview to Conmebol Libertadores social media and spoke about the importance of professional athletes undergoing psychological treatment. The center-forward said that, unlike in the past, the topic is now discussed among players with less stereotyping and more naturally.

“This is very important, because I think there’s still a big barrier around this in football too. Because if you say, ‘I’m going to therapy, I’m going to see a psychologist,’ people say, ‘this guy is crazy.’ There’s still that prejudice, but I think it’s very important. Because sometimes I complain about not having started earlier; it’s very important for us to have that balance in the good moments, so that we can have that same balance in the bad moments. And also to be able to have that balance and a very good mindset so we can get through those moments.”

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

He added: “It’s already becoming a little more natural (this topic among players). Here at the club we also have our psychologist, Anahy (Couto), who helps us a lot and gives us a lot of support too. I have my own private one, who helps me as well. But it’s important for us to already have this within a club and for it to be something more normal, more natural. All clubs should have access to this kind of treatment.”

It is worth remembering that, in 2024, Corinthians’ No. 9 went through a delicate emotional moment. Struggling on the field, he was even called an ‘idiot’ by the team’s coach at the time, Mano Menezes, during the away loss to São Bernardo FC in that year’s Campeonato Paulista. In later interviews, the player made it clear that he did not like the way the coach referred to him, but that the incident had already been overcome by both sides.

Yuri Alberto joined Corinthians in mid-2022, initially on loan from Zenit of Russia. At the start of 2023, he was signed permanently in a deal involving five players — Ivan, Robert Renan, Du Queiroz, Gustavo Mantuan, and Pedrinho. Since then, he has recorded 82 goals and 23 assists in 236 matches (202 as a starter), with 105 wins, 61 draws, and 70 losses — a 53.11% success rate.

He is the top scorer in the history of Neo Química Arena, inaugurated in 2014, with 51 goals. In addition, Yuri Alberto is also the team’s leading scorer in the 21st century. In 2024, he had the most prolific season of his career, with 31 goals scored — 15 of them in the Brasileirão, where he was the top scorer and instrumental in the team’s surge (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifying stage).

Last year, he played a decisive role in the team’s Campeonato Paulista (2025) and Copa do Brasil (2025) titles, against Palmeiras and Flamengo respectively, scoring goals in both finals. At the start of 2026, he also got on the scoresheet against Flamengo in the Supercopa do Brasil. This year, he has six goals and four assists in 29 matches — the team’s top scorer this season.

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