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Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch has opened up about how his move to the Reds saved him from "going crazy."
The 23-year-old Dutch international confessed that he was on the brink of a mental breakdown after his dream transfer to Bayern Munich turned sour under the management of Julian Nagelsmann. Gravenberch's father is of the opinion that his son was nearing depression before a $43 million switch to Anfield two years ago pulled him back from the edge.
Last season, under Arne Slot, the midfielder had an outstanding campaign as Liverpool clinched the Premier League title. Only now has he revealed the details of his tumultuous year, which saw him start just three Bundesliga matches after moving to Bayern from Ajax.
Gravenberch shared: "I was going crazy in my head. I was lucky my parents had moved to Munich for me. I don't know what would have happened if I had been out there just on my own...it was really tough mentally.
"I was happy we were champions, but my contribution was small. I know we stood there as champions but I did not feel like a champion at all. It was a totally different feeling from all the other times I won trophies.
"Under Nagelsmann, I would go three matches in a row spending 90 minutes watching my team. That is when I started to go crazy in my head. In the winter I was totally done with it. During the last two months of the season under (Thomas) Tuchel, I got more minutes than in the entire period before.
"I remember how I felt at Bayern, but I know I have managed to climb out of that low. And that is what I am proud of."
Gravenberch's father, also named Ryan, expressed his belief that his son could have faced a serious bout of depression if he had been alone in Munich. "I think if we had not been there with him, he would have landed in a depression," Gravenberch senior shared with Dutch magazine Helden.
"When you say something like that as a parent, people might think 'oh dear, here is another father who thinks his son is so brilliant.' But the football world is hard - and people in that world are too. A lot was said about him, but people forgot this was a young lad of 21.
"The whole Bayern Munich adventure never worked out like he expected. He was working really hard, but he was never given a chance to shine.
"At that time, we could not dream that he would get a transfer to Liverpool and that Arne Slot would become his coach. When I look at what has happened to him with Slot and Liverpool I have to say in all honesty that he has gone from hell to heaven!"
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