The Spanish midfielder, Barcelona, revealed his desire to seek the help of a psychologist for the first time, after he admitted that he currently feels much greater pressure than he faced when he appeared with the first team at the age of 17 years.
Gavi said, in an interview with Men’s Health magazine, reported by the Spanish newspaper Sport, that psychological support can benefit the player even when he is not going through a difficult stage.
He added, “A psychologist is always helpful, whether you are going through a bad situation or even when you are in a very good situation. I have never gone to him before, but I would like to.”
The 22-year-old Barcelona player spoke about the change in his relationship with pressure since his early beginnings with the club, saying that he enjoyed football more when he was younger.
“I feel a lot more pressure now than I did when I was 17,” he said. “At that time I wasn’t fully aware of where I was, and the younger I was the more I enjoyed football.”
The family helped him during the most difficult periods
Ghafi indicated that his family was his refuge during the difficult periods he went through due to injuries, explaining that he preferred to stay away from the noise surrounding him and stay close to his family. “I isolated with my family, and this helped me a lot,” he said.
The Spanish international’s career has witnessed a series of injuries in recent years, most notably a severe knee injury that kept him out of action for a long period and forced him to undergo an extended treatment and rehabilitation program.
Ghafi explained that this experience changed the way he dealt with his body, and made him more patient and attentive to the details associated with recovery.
He added, “Maybe I was not patient before, but now I have become more patient. When I was injured, I had to pass specific stages and set goals for myself.”
“I can’t neglect my knees”
The Barcelona player confirmed that taking care of his knee has become a regular part of his daily routine, whether he participates in matches or misses them.
He said, “My knee must always remain strong, whether I play or not. I cannot neglect it because things could get complicated at any moment.”
However, Gavi stressed that he tries not to enter matches while preoccupied with the possibility of suffering a new injury, as this may affect his enjoyment and performance on the field.
He said, “If you think throughout the match about what will happen and what will not happen, I don’t think you will have much fun. You have to play without thinking about anything and compete as usual.”
Gavi’s statements shed light on the psychological aspect of the career of a player who arrived early in the first team and the Spanish national team, and then found himself, within a few years, facing the pressures of competition, injuries, and the expectations of the fans, which are factors that prompted him to seriously consider seeking specialized psychological support.