A sensation as a Tokyo Olympics and Rio 2016 Olympic champion, Douglas Sousa announced late Thursday night that he is retiring from the Brazilian national team. volleyball To take care of your mental health. In a video posted on Instagram, the player, who does not have a club, stated that he has been playing with the national team since 2011, and that he is very proud of this path between the base and the main teams.
“For me, it has always been an honor, a prestige, and a huge pride to be in the national team. I felt like I needed to break barriers and I was able to do it very well. But there was a point, in 2016, when my mind kicked in, my body started giving some signs. I need to slow down.”
He also said that splitting time between selection and the club does not allow the athlete to take vacations, to devote himself to friends and family, and revealed that he was depressed.
“It’s so hard to have time for ourselves, our family and our friends, things that are so important to me. After that, things got so bad that I had to deal with depression, and no one knew about it. . . in the middle of 2022 our mental health is so important, the thing Who needs to be looked after, treated and taken care of there. But unfortunately, it was very difficult to spend that time in the national team.”
Douglas also said that in 2018, he decided to retire after the Tokyo Olympics. “For my mental health, I have decided to finish my course in the national team to take care of myself, and be close to my family and friends. I am very happy with my decision.”
At the Tokyo Games, the Brazilian team lost the bronze medal to Argentina and came off the podium for the first time since 2004. Douglas Sousa was one of the Olympic highlights and has become a social media phenomenon, p.It rose from 250,000 followers to 2.9 million by the end of the games.
At the end of last year, he left for his first try at an international club. But the experiment in Vibo Valentia, from the Italian region of Calabria, only lasted three months in Europe. In a case that was not well explained yet, he returned to Brazil. a The club claimed that Douglas left the team without giving an explanation.
Douglas has also been involved in an argument with MOrisio Sousa when he criticizes an anti-gay post made by his ex-teammate On the social network.
Due to the success and sudden return to Brazil, there was an expectation that he would be one of the participants in Big Brother Brazil 2022. However, the rumors were not confirmed. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be in one. reality worldwide.
future
This Thursday, blog Olympic appearanceFrom UOLconfirmed that The athlete will participate in the celebrity dance.
In the video posted at the end of the night, Douglas Souza also gave clues about his future in the courts. Without a club since returning from Italy, he said he is negotiating with teams from Sao Paulo to play in Serie A.
“I chose to play in Sao Paulo, even though I know that Sao Paulo clubs don’t have much investment, and they don’t have a lot of money to give to the athlete,” he said without revealing the clubs he talks with.
