Enke and Speed’s stories ended more sadly.
A psychologist and rescuers saved the player
On Sunday, Nice faces Brest at home, where two sensations from the start of the Ligue 1 season meet, leaders of the championship after the failures of Mbappe and Golovin’s teams. But instead of preparation, the team’s 22-year-old midfielder, Bek Bek, was removed from the deck. Alexis threatened to jump off. His football activity is not going well, he will not play for Nice in the new season. The young midfielder arrived from Lokomotiv for the respectable sum of 12 million euros, and another two million are due to the Muscovites as a bonus.
Last season, Beka Beka started only seven matches in Ligue 1. The Frenchman said that girls often wrote him messages, offering to meet, but he did not find a girl in Moscow. But in France she experienced unrequited love, even if the club insists that the reason for the attempt to jump from the bridge is different. Psychologists and rescuers quickly arrived at the bridge and convinced Bek Bek not to jump. Young Thuram called his girlfriend to introduce himself and help the psychologists send Alexis to the hospital.
I’m lucky I don’t jump. We hope that Alexis does not join the tragic list of famous footballers who have had their lives cut short. The topic is serious and Russia is on the list of leaders in suicides. Several years ago, cases among men ranked first in the sad ranking. At the same time, there is no advertising on social media for seeking help, the topic is silenced, even if its relevance will only increase.
There is no short helpline number that all Russians know. “Nice” should thank the rescuers who did their job carefully. Passers-by noticed Bek Bek and did not pass by, calling the emergency services. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to avoid a tragedy.
Enke, Speed and Fashanu left too soon
Life is insanely short, but a person with a stable psyche, on the contrary, clings to it. But there are mental illnesses that, until recently, were slow to identify and treat in men. Furthermore, there is no culture of asking for help. A man should supposedly remain silent and steadfastly endure all the difficulties of life. The result is a list of tragedies involving famous football figures. In 1998, English striker Justin Fashanu, brother of Wimbledon player John, left.
Eight years before the tragedy, Justin came out, which is very rare even in modern football. The boy was hunted. He was bullied by coaches and teammates. The yellow press, which invented various stories about Fashanu, was to blame for the tragedy. At the end of the twentieth century no one sent Justin to a psychiatrist. The Fashanu brothers had a difficult childhood, their parents originally from Nigeria and Guyana abandoned them after the divorce and the brothers ended up in a foster family.
Justin was good at boxing and football. And although his career was not as successful as John’s, he was able to live a long life, if not always happily. But at the age of 37 he couldn’t stand the bullying. Speed’s horror story is more absurd. The coach of the Wales national team attempted suicide in 2011. It is possible that he was unsuccessful, but it seemed that Gary had been drinking. I fell asleep with a noose around my neck on the stairs after another little argument with my wife, and ended up sliding down unsuccessfully with a rope around my neck.
This is one of the versions that does not cancel the result. Speed did not have the same serious mental problems as German goalkeeper Robert Encke. The former goalkeeper has been under the care of a psychiatrist since 2003. And then he collapsed when his little daughter died. Robert threw himself in front of a train in November 2009.
There are many other failed attempts
Good news, if I may say so. Most people with suicidal thoughts are referred to psychologists and psychiatrists. Science doesn’t stop, it helps many to avoid irreparable choices. There is also a large percentage of failed attempts. It’s great when you can take it out of the loop. For example, in 2010, Sevastopol player Vladislav Piskun killed a pregnant woman and her two children with a car.
In the pre-trial detention center he attempted suicide, but was transferred to hospital. As a result, he received a nine-year sentence, was released early for good behavior and even resumed his professional football career. The driver was sober, he simply lost control of the car. It is good that the terrible accident did not result in another victim.
But the Russian referee Almir Kayumov could not save himself. He threw himself out of the window, but was stopped, and four years later he threw himself under a car. The reasons are different, but it is not worth making such decisions. For example, former Rotor player Mikhail Potylchak initially started an unsuccessful business by borrowing money. Then he tried to win back fate and used betting for this – in the end he lost.
Footballers are very often at risk
A lot of pressure and a lot of rude comments. Although there are cases without bullying. The match-fixing investigations in South Korea have turned tragic. There were 57 defendants, 46 players and coaches. Four committed suicide, due to local circumstances. Lee Kyung Hwan became one of the defendants in the case that he could not stand the shame and life ban.
And two years ago there was a tragic coincidence in Uruguay, three footballers who did not know each other shortened their lives. Uruguayans are right to talk about toxic masculinity. Men don’t go to doctors, which is partly why they don’t live as long as many women. It is important to ask for help. Before Beck Beck, among the famous players there was the case of Mondragon.
The famous Colombian goalkeeper took a large dose of pills in 2016, but doctors cleared him. The Colombian with Lebanese roots is looking great right now. He celebrates the birthdays of his children Paolo and Lucca, who thank the doctors for having revived their beloved father. Mondragon cured depression, which was certainly helped by Farid’s wife, Adriana Zamorano.
We wish Bek Bek to also meet mutual love. And he remembers for the rest of your life that rash decisions are selfish. Alexis has people who care about him. Today they thank the psychologist for dragging the Nice player off the bridge to the other side. It was worth asking for help, this is normal and correct. The support phone number can be found in a second.
Don’t underestimate the insidious nature of the human brain; Depression must be treated, not left untreated. And in case of rash and sharp decisions like Beck Beck’s, it is better to look for the phone numbers of specialists. It is important to speak openly: in the vast majority of cases, professional support will work, as it does in France today. The psychologist who dissuaded Bek Bek will go to sleep today with the knowledge that he has saved a young life.
