08 Aug 2026 02:56:24
Ronald Araujo played just 11 games last year after taking an extended break from football due to depression (Araujo himself said this so it's not speculation).
So he's not match fit, injury prone, playing in a new team, new league, new culture, new country while also suffering from depression.
I hope the club has a staff psychologist because this is going to be a very rough transition for Ronald.
Please be kind people and remember football players are people too. Can we sign someone to play until Araujo gets up to speed? At least then he'll be ready to play until Jacquet and Leoni get up to speed.
{Ed078's Note - You talking season or calendar year? He played 38 times across all competitions. I applaud a player being honest about their mental health battles (I'm not suggesting you were having a go) and am happy to get behind him and be hopeful.
08 Aug 2026 06:51:26
Yeah, sorry I should have specified calendar year, that did seem misleading.
I'm a sports psychologist who works in football, so I too think it's good he got treatment for his issues. I'm not suggesting it's a point of contention. But depression is never cured; it is like cancer, it's either active or in remission. It's going to be a very hard transition for him here.
New language, culture, place, team, tactics, pressures, weather.
As an immigrant myself, I speak from experience when I say that culture differences play a much bigger difference in quality of life than people realise, and being wealthy doesn't insulate you.
I hope he's a success, but he's going to need a lot of support to do so, and we shouldn't be expecting him to slot right in.
{Ed078's Note - agreed.
08 Aug 2026 07:28:14
Depends, it may have been his first experience of depression, and could be that it's a single episode. Maybe he wanted the move to have a break away from the environment that contributed to his depression. Wealth doesn't insulate you, but it does mean you can afford good therapy. I hope he is a more successful loan than we've had before.
08 Aug 2026 07:55:52
That's a very good analysis, Nevada.
08 Aug 2026 08:26:35
Let's hope it's in remission for the rest of his life then.