Ivan Campo opens up on panic attacks while at Real Madrid

More and more often football players, admittedly ex-professionals, are feeling empowered to speak about their mental health publicly.

Across the years mental health has led to the death of football players, the most high-profile case being Robert Enke, highlighting the need for support networks.

One former player trying to make a difference is Ivan Campo, who has admitted he used to suffer from anxiety attacks while at Real Madrid. In a recent interview with Diario AS, Campo explained how a pilot in the Spanish Air Force persuaded him to talk openly about his own struggles. The pilot told him that he could have a serious impact for others by helping mental health to become a normal topic.

“And then I thought that that man had all of the logic in the world. And I decided that I had to talk about it in order to normalise the situation. I didn’t have to hide from anything. Regardless of whether people like it or not. If it happened to me, it happens to lots of people, why shouldn’t I talk about it. It is one of the most common illnesses in the world. Doctors, Taxi drivers, lawyers, business people have… Saying so has no [negative] effect.”

Campo went on to explain that the Real Madrid dressing room formed a large part of his support network.

“What happened to me I had to come out of myself, but I supported myself with family and that dressing room helped me a lot. It was a group of friends rather than professionals. They lent me a hand, they asked about me, they encouraged me. [Back] then it isn’t like it is now, they travel on the day, they live together as a team less. That dressing room was a family, I had a coexistence of friendship. They came to see me at home. They ate and had dinner with me. They tried to be close to me.”

Campo was part of the Real Madrid side that won the 2000 Champions League, playing alongside the likes of Roberto Carlos, Fernando Hierro, Ronaldo Nazario, Iker Casillas and Zinedine Zidane.

His statements will hopefully continue the advance of the issue within football, where mental health remains highly stigmatised. As Campo states, talking about it will hopefully normalise mental health as a topic and enable others to seek help where they need it.

Tags Bolton Wanderers Ivan Campo Real Madrid
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