Former Barcelona goalkeeper Pinto, 49, recently publicly disclosed his early career struggle with depression in an interview program.
What was your experience in Celta?
I was loaned to Celta from Betis at the time, and the contract had a buyout clause. I didn't play much that year. The contract has expired for two years and then I got the starter opportunity, but they (the club) are still not sure. During training, they looked like a beast, but when they arrived on the field, how would I react in the face of pressure and other situations?
Later I got on the court and played a great game, which played a decisive role and they bought me out. I joined as a substitute and rely on my own efforts and persistence to work and study. It was there that I grew up to be a real man, so I felt a lot of gratitude for Celta. I succeeded, but it was not easy. First of all, because I'm an atypical goalkeeper. Slowly, they saw that I was very committed and gave everything I had for this jersey.
What causes you to fall into a mood trough?
My trough stems from insecurity, because I see that no matter how hard I try, no one trusts me 100%. I was like, “I’m away from my family and friends, is it worth it?” So there was a moment where I said, “I don’t know if so much effort and sacrifice is worth it because those days are gone.” I was about 22 or 23 years old at the time.
How did you get out of the predicament?
When I was a child, I was a person of faith, but after all that, I no longer believed it. I fell to the bottom. It was my wife who noticed my condition. I was trapped in a cycle and thought to myself, "I have a dream, but I doubt I can achieve it." One day while driving to training, I saw a billboard for a meditation class. When I was doing an exercise, I suddenly realized. This changed everything, and now I look at things differently.
source:free 7m cn