‘Had to seek help – Former Real Madrid defender lifts the lid on the dark side of his time at the club | OneFootball

Former Real Madrid full-back Danilo has opened up about the psychological difficulties he faced during his time at the club, admitting that the pressure and criticism he endured at the Santiago Bernabeu took a toll on his mental health.

The Brazilian, who joined Los Blancos from Porto in 2015, won two Champions League titles but never fully met the expectations placed upon him, leading to intense scrutiny from fans and media.

“Real Madrid was the peak of this problem because it is the biggest club in the world,” Danilo revealed, as quoted by SPORT.

“I suffered so much that I had to seek psychological help. There were moments when I felt like I had forgotten how to play football.

“The criticism hurt me a lot—I was completely caught up in it, in social media, in everything. That’s when I started working with a sports psychologist,” he added.

Competition at Real Madrid was tough

Danilo’s impact at Real Madrid was very minimum. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Competing for a starting spot with Dani Carvajal, Danilo struggled to cement his place in the team and often found himself the target of criticism.

The pressure eventually became overwhelming, prompting him to seek professional help—a decision encouraged by his compatriot and former teammate Lucas Silva, who also had a challenging spell at Madrid.

Reflecting on his experience, the full-back believes clubs should take mental health more seriously.

“I’ll be very direct: clubs will only act when they realise the financial damage they are suffering.

“When they understand how many players they are losing due to emotional and psychological problems, they will think twice and start investing in mental health support.”

After leaving Madrid in 2017, Danilo joined Manchester City, where he worked under Pep Guardiola, whom he praised for his emotional intelligence and tactical vision, highlighting how his management had a positive impact on his career.