Stoke forward Bojan has explained how his breakthrough at Barcelona contributed to anxiety so severe it forced him to sit out Euro 2008.
The Spain international was left out of Luis Aragonés’ victorious squad after asking the coach to omit him from the final 23, and has now revealed how he suffered from anxiety and dizziness following a debut season in the Barcelona first-team where “everything was going very fast.”
Now 25, Bojan is enjoying a new lease of life in the Premier League, but has spoken of his struggles in an interview with Marca.
He explained that bouts of dizziness – the strongest of which came before a league match against Osasuna – made him feel he had to reject the call-up from Aragonés.
“My parents and I were very nervous and I spent the night [of the Osasuna game] in hospital. It was from that point I started to feel dizzy every day,” he said.
“It was a pretty strong anxiety attack, something I could not control. My body had reached a point of maximum tension,” Bojan added, when asked about doctors’ explanation for his condition.
He revealed that his decision to turn down a place in the Euro 2008 squad came just 24 hours before the final selection was announced to the public, explaining the decision was “very hard” but he felt he had no choice.
He recalls telling club and international team-mate Carles Puyol:
“I want to be in the European Championship, but I can not. My body has said enough. I need to be calm and recover from this dizziness – it is very uncomfortable being dizzy 24 hours a day.
“I do not see myself prepared to travel and be with people, not now. It’s not because I don’t want to, I can not.”
Had Bojan gone to Euro 2008, he would have been the youngest player to ever take part in a European Championships tournament.
If you want to read more of JOE’s coverage of anxiety and mental health, you can find some links here.
