Juventus' Fagioli opens up about his depression over gambling addiction

Nicolo Fagioli has become the latest footballer to talk about mental health in public. The 23-year-old Juventus midfielder, who recently returned to the pitch after a seven-month gambling ban, admitted that he experienced a very dark period in 2023 in the months leading up to his punishment.
‘I felt I was in a dark cloud, everything seemed negative to me, everything was black,’ the Italy international told ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’, focusing on the tears that welled up in his eyes after the 1-0 defeat to Sassuolo in April 2023. "I had failed in one move, but my biggest problem was inside me. The problem was that I was no longer in control of myself. Gambling had devoured my life, it had become an obsession, a nightmare," the footballer continued of his gambling problem.
"I know that I can consider myself lucky, that there are colleagues in more dramatic conditions than mine and that I probably don't have the right to ask for understanding. But I don't want to be hypocritical either," the footballer continued. "I was devoured by an enormous emptiness, which does not distinguish between social classes, does not reward or absolve on the basis of talent. I felt asphyxiated and I couldn't find a way to escape," concluded Fagioli, whose life was helped by the gambling sanction.
The ‘Bianconeri’ was investigated in the same case as Sandro Tonali (Newcastle) and Nicolo Zaniolo (Aston Villa) and admitted to having bet on matches in which he did not play, something also prohibited by the FIGC. Fagioli cooperated with the sporting justice system and acknowledged his addiction, which led to him being placed in the hands of experts and his sanction was reduced. Thus, the punishment was only 7 months, but, above all, the professional help helped him to get his sporting and personal life back on track.
Fagioli has only made eight appearances for Juventus this season. The last one before the suspension came on 1st October, when the ‘Vecchia Signora’ drew 0-0 away to Atalanta. He did not play in the subsequent Turin derby and had to wait until 20th May to return to action, in a 3-3 draw against Bologna on the penultimate matchday of the league.
He started in the 2-0 win over Monza, hitting the post and providing an assist, an outstanding performance that confirmed he is on the right road to recovery. Among Fagioli's next objectives is the European Championship, for which he may have to make do without playing in the 2023/24. For the moment, Spalletti has included him in the squad, but it is unclear whether the midfielder will be one of the players left out or will make it through.