Jose Enrique has admitted he was reduced to tears by the injuries that plagued the end of his Liverpool career
Enrique enjoyed spells with Liverpool and Newcastle United in the Premier League but was forced to retire from football at the age of 31.
The Spaniard was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2018 and underwent an operation before being given the all-clear the following year.
Now balancing his career as a football agent with a new fitness company, Amplified Coaching Online, Enrique told the Mirror he still visits a psychiatrist to deal with his mental well-being.
The former left flanker said: "I remember one training session at the end of my time at Liverpool. It was in the middle of the week. We did a drill with four goals, attacking two and defending two.
"Me and [Christian] Benteke were on the same team. In that session, I remember it like it was yesterday, I was the best player.
"[Jurgen] Klopp was talking to me, and I was thinking: ‘This is going to be my chance now, I’m going to play.’ But my knee was already damaged by then.
"The next day, I woke up and it was swelling. I was like: ‘Seriously? Are you joking?
"In those days, I was feeling like crap. I had anxiety and I was crying.
"But I learnt that with anxiety and panic attacks, they happen because you are negative.
"It is not that you want to be negative, but it is because your head is playing you. It is uncontrollable and that is why people need help.
"It was a nightmare. It gets so low that at one point you are asking: ‘God, please. I don’t know what I’m doing here? I’m just suffering.'
"People might be looking at you and saying, ‘You have everything; a big house, a beautiful partner in every single way, a family that cares for you.’
"But that is worse because you are thinking: ‘Why am I feeling like this when I have everything?’"
"I was going to see a psychiatrist, even though before I didn’t really believe in that sort of thing. I will admit it. I still go now, less so, but I still have some problems."
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