Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen forward, Javier Hernandez popularly known as Chicharito has spoken about his personal struggles and battle with depression.
Chicharito plays in the MLS with LA Galaxy after he ended his 10-year stint in Europe following his move to Manchester United in 2010.
During his time at United, Chicharito won two Premier League titles with the Reds scoring 59 goals in 157 appearances in five years.
After United he had a temporary spell with Real Madrid before joining Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham.
Following the death of his grandfather in 2020, the 33-year-old has now revealed the difficult year he endured, including his struggle with mental illness.
“I’m great, I’m happy, I’m very grateful for the place that I’m in because last year was very complicated for me as well, suffering a deep depression,” he told Manchester United’s official podcast UTD Podcast.
“I lost my grandad too and then had situations in my personal life that I needed to handle so I was in a very low place if I can call it that.
“Then I got out of the victim zone, took responsibility of myself, my life, took some decisions and I just wanted to live in the present, enjoy life and do what I love most which is playing soccer.
“I just want to give it all. I [have] started investing a lot in myself time-wise as well, working with a lot of people around me on my food, my fitness, my physio, my emotions, my marketing, even style a little bit,” he added.
“I just want to be true to myself and live the life I want and deserve regardless of the society that sometimes tells us what we should and shouldn’t do.”
He continued: “Me being open, that’s something that I want to share, that’s why I did the yin [and] yang tattoo a few months ago,”
“Sometimes we think with our superficial success that we’re going to find all the answers, that they are all here and that we are completely perfect.
“We are imperfect, we need to live with our life, we need to live with our shadow, accept the things we don’t have.
“People are doing the best they can to help others go into work and then just be yourselves, love yourselves and then you can chase your dreams but not from an emptiness, [not from] feeling you have to prove something because you have more value. [If] you get money, you get fame or recognition, that’s [not] going to bring you more value as a human.
“I like to speak about it because it was a breakthrough for me when I completely started loving myself and started living the life that I want to live, it was completely great, but it’s always connected by love and not from emptiness.”
