Irene López was one of the great promises of the Spanish quarry. The Madrilenian arrived stomping with the golden generation, the one that won the U-17 World Cup in 2018. A touch midfielder, with vision of the game and arrival. However, he suffered a setback that has forced him to hang up his boots at just 20 years old. Irene does not hide. And she wants all the athletes who suffer the same as her to know that they are not alone. And that mental health should not be a taboo. Soccer went from being his passion to his worst enemy. And when you’re not having fun playing, there’s a problem. Irene realized it, she knew how to seek help and now she doesn’t hide. The Madrilenian spoke with the RFEF about everything she has experienced during these years.
“It made me happy to be with people, I loved going to train for that part, but on the pitch I didn’t feel the same, I saw myself as a burden. I got to a point of disliking the sport itself and I knew it was because of things that I had been accumulating over the years. I realized that I had to distance myself from sports,” he explained. A distance that now counts. He realized the problem and sought help: “I found something very positive when I told it for the first time. I started with my friends and then I asked my family for help, which is my biggest support. This topic is taboo for people of my generation, so imagine for my parents.”
In the process of recovery, Irene decided to say publicly that she was leaving football and that she was doing it for her mental health. Something not very usual, but that in recent times is coming to light more: “Right now I’m fine, surprised by the impact of my post on social networks. I was met with an outpouring of positive comments and questions. I realized that people want to talk about this topic, that we need to freely express this without fear of being judged. Anxiety, stress should not be a taboo.”
Now, from a distance, she looks at her future focused on another of her passions: “I decided to leave my degree to dedicate myself to plastic and visual arts, which is what I have always liked as a child. Graphic design, tattoos, I would like to dedicate myself to thereto”. And he encouraged everyone who is going through something similar not to be afraid: “I want to tell those who are going through this that they are not alone. I realized that many people go through these moments and that it is important to make these problems visible. I would like that, just as I have taken the example of other people, I can help others with these words”.