BAYERN MUNICH and France star Benjamin Pavard has bravely opened up on his battle with depression.
The 26-year-old first began to struggle mentally during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the time Pavard was still in his first season at Bayern, and being stuck on his own away from his home country saw him became "not well".
The Bundesliga was first halted in late February due to the pandemic, and did not return until May.
And the 2018 World Cup winner, who won goal of the tournament for his famous strike against Argentina, has detailed his struggles in an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien.
Pavard revealed that he knew something had to be done when he headed to training without a smile on his face.
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He said: "It was difficult for everyone, for me too. To be alone, in a country other than mine, I was really not well. In my head, something was wrong.
"At the beginning, you tell yourself that it's nothing, that it will pass, but when you see that it persists, that you go to training and that you don't have a smile on your face, you have to react."
Pavard admitted that maintaining contact with family and friends was crucial during the lonely periods of lockdown.
He added: "I am human like everyone else, and even if I have a super nice house with a weight room, I needed contact with others.
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If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
"I got up, I had no appetite. I tried to keep busy, to cook, to watch series. But Netflix is fine for two minutes… I don't like the word depressive, but that was the case."
Fortunately Pavard's mental struggles have improved as the world has grown used to living with Covid.
He concluded: "I came out of all this as a man, it changed me. I was on my own like many football players and I had to surround myself well to raise my head.
"I managed to bounce back from difficult times."
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On the pitch the right-back has continued to be an important player for club and country, despite his mental struggles.
And he will be hoping to help France to more World Cup glory when the tournament kicks off in Qatar later this year.
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