Overview

• Speaking as a Laureus ambassador on World Mental Health Day, the Real Madrid midfielder encouraged fellow athletes to show vulnerability and talk about mental health.
• He called on social media companies to limit abusive speech and criticized the expectation that athletes should "shut up and take it."
• He said he used to search his name on Twitter as a teenager at Birmingham City but now avoids reading comments to protect his wellbeing.
• He credited Real Madrid’s coaches, teammates and staff as an important support network and said mental training should be available throughout the sport.
• His comments came after he was left out of the latest England squad, drawing a rush of public opinion, and coverage reported no new policy moves from social platforms.