Raphaël Varane did not come empty-handed to our interview in Paris on Friday, November 28. The former defender, who retired in September 2024, brought along a folder full of athletes’ personal testimonies. All had experienced mental health struggles, just like Varane himself, who discusses the issue on a television documentary Plunge Heads (“Diving Heads”) alongside other members France’s 2018 World Cup championship football team. According to the FIFPRO international players’ union, 20% to 35% of footballers face such difficulties through the course of their careers.
“At the time, we experienced incredible emotions, which we shared with millions of people in France. We wanted to recreate that impact in different contexts,” said Varane, who is deeply involved in Génération 2018, an endowment fund created by the 23 world champions. After supporting a number of other causes, the fund made mental health its focus for 2025, through the documentary and support for the Mentalo project, a scientific study on young people’s well-being.
Why did Génération 2018 make mental health its priority this year?
Because it’s an issue that is getting worse in society. More and more people are affected by mental health problems. The idea was to use the strength of the collective to make a positive impact. It feels good to create a bond between people, because some life stories will resonate with others and may help encourage people to open up. Talking about it isn’t about saying everything is going wrong. It’s a first step to moving forward and finding solutions to feel better.
Should the world of football be concerned?
Yes, because in football, mental health is still a particularly taboo topic. Football forces you to push every limit: tactical, physical, technical. But when it comes to the mental and psychological aspects, everyone deals with their problems alone. I realized this too late in my career. I ended my career feeling great, supported by a mental coach and two psychologists with different specialties. But if I could do it over, I would have worked with that team from the start.
Can a footballer talk about their feelings with teammates?
Judging by my experience in locker rooms, everyone keeps what is difficult to themselves and doesn’t show it. When you go out to play a match, it’s as if you’re going on a mission. You need to know your teammates are fully committed. From a very young age, we’ve been immersed in a highly competitive environment, among the elite, so you have to represent strength and hide your weaknesses. Today, it’s important to say that showing your vulnerability does not mean you’re weak. It means you’re rolling up your sleeves and saying, “I want to find solutions to move forward.” The football world needs to open up the conversation on this topic.
Is it difficult for a professional footballer to “complain”?
It’s true that sometimes we don’t feel legitimate, because we’ve had extraordinary careers. On social media, we show the top 1%, the best moments of our lives. But behind that, we go through difficult times. Regardless of our careers, we are human beings above all. Talking about it helps to show that mental health problems can affect anyone.
When did you first experience these issues during your career?
After I arrived at Real Madrid. I was 18, and I hadn’t had a normal adolescence. I was alone, training all the time and hardly playing. I felt like my dream was slipping away. On the pitch, I was totally focused. But afterwards, I didn’t want to go home. It was a depression. I no longer enjoyed anything.
Were you able to talk to anyone about it at the time?
No, for me that was the price to pay. I thought you had to go through that to succeed. I was just starting my career and I was asking myself a thousand questions: “Did I make the right choice coming here? Should I leave? Should I talk about it?” I was stuck in a kind of solitude, feeling like everything was falling apart.
Did you have other similar moments later in your career?
Let’s just say it’s a common experience, because the 1998 winners had warned us, but the period after the World Cup [2018] was very difficult. You realize your dream, you’re at the top of world football, and then there’s the comedown. I remember that [the Covid-19 pandemic] helped me come out of that depressive state. I was able to process all those emotions and reset. It’s paradoxical, because that period was very hard for so many people in terms of mental health.
After the 2018 World Cup, Samuel Umtiti, your central defense partner, also went through depression. Were you aware?
No, because, as I was saying, these are subjects that are not talked about in football. Toward the end of my career, I think I developed the sensitivity to help players I saw were struggling, especially the younger ones, because sometimes situations are obvious. But, most of the time, it’s much less visible.
Can the relentless pace footballers face today take a toll on their mental health?
You know, nine days after the 2022 World Cup final [in Qatar]I played a match with Manchester United. I didn’t even have time to mourn the defeat [to Argentina in the final]. The schedule is a huge issue, because there are always more competitions being added. Football is now in overdrive. I understand it’s a business, but we’re losing quality as a spectacle. Either you don’t play at 100%, or you play like a robot. There are more physical injuries and, obviously, the impact on players’ mental health is significant.
Was it this frantic pace that led you to announce your international retirement at the beginning of 2023, at only 29?
Yes, because the schedule was insane. I didn’t have any break that would allow me to recover physically or psychologically. Football is a bit like society, with a kind of headlong rush. You always have to do more, always faster. It’s extremely anxiety-inducing. There needs to be a break. Not because we don’t want to play, but to play better. The idea is not to flee competition, but to be in the right place mentally, because if you keep pushing the limits, eventually something breaks.