Jérémy Mathieu accuses Sporting of failing to respond to the request for help he made in 2025. The former defender, who ended his career at the Lions in 2020 after a serious injury, shared his experience in an interview with So Foot, speaking about the psychological support he sought and a personal project linked to the club.
Depression after retirement
Mathieu, who went through a difficult phase after ending his career, revealed that he suffered depression that left him in a ‘negative spiral’.
“The pitch, the dressing rooms, everything we knew, I missed it. I didn’t have time to prepare for life after my career because of that injury,” explained the Frenchman. He recalled that his life became a dark place for four years, a period in which his wife played a key role in his recovery.
Request to Sporting went unanswered
The former defender tried to get in touch with Sporting, hoping to receive support. “In 2025, I asked Sporting for help, namely psychological support, but not only that. I had a project in mind, but it never came to fruition,” he lamented.
Mathieu was thinking of setting up a small academy in France linked to the club. After meeting the sporting director, he waited for a reply that never came.
What hurt him most was waiting 45 minutes in the tunnel after a Cup match against FC Porto, where he felt completely ignored. “They had forgotten about me and that hurt. I would rather be told no than be left hanging,” he said.
Mathieu was unhappy to learn that the sporting director could do nothing for him and that the president had already left the stadium.
Changes in the sporting directorate
The episode raises questions about the responsibility of clubs to support former players in moments of vulnerability, at a time when players’ mental health is in the spotlight.
Hugo Viana left for Manchester City a month after the situation. The question remains of how the new sporting director, Bernardo Palmeiro, will approach these issues and whether the club will review its stance on supporting former players.
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