“I looked bad and went to find a psychologist”: the painful account of the Brazilian footballer who had a key mistake in the Copa America final against Argentina

The Argentine team's 1-0 victory against Brazil in the Copa America final remains very latent in the memory of fans from both countries. With his goal 22 minutes into the first half, Angel Di Maria not only gave his team the title but also caused a serious mental blow to one of his rivals.

This is the case of Brazilian defender Renan Lodi, from Atlético de Madrid, who became one of the protagonists of the play by failing to cut Rodrigo de Paul's long pass, with which he left the PSG attacker head in hand with Ederson.

Eight months after that unforgettable confrontation, the side of the colchonero team revealed that he put himself in the hands of a psychologist to overcome the mistake he made, which ended up giving the victory and the Cup to the albiceleste in his country.

“It was all very hard. I cried a lot. I got sick in my head and went in search of a psychologist and all because it was very difficult. It was when I gave that drop in performance within the club as well. It affected me a lot,” said the footballer in an interview with TNT Sports Brasil.

Lodi acknowledged that after that mistake, which allowed Fideo to score the only goal of the final played on July 10, 2021, he called a psychologist he knew from when he was a player for Athletico Paranaense.

“That problem occurred in the selection and I said to myself: I need to put my head in order. It wasn't depression, that's a very strong word, but I was on my way to training (with Atletico Madrid) and I wanted to come back; I went out to play and I wanted to get out of the game quickly. It was difficult,” he explained.

“There I said to myself: I have to call him (to the psychologist) and I need to let off steam, I need to communicate everything I'm feeling. And in doing so, I lifted that weight off my shoulders and it made me stronger. Today I continue to work with him,” he added.

Lodi, 23, overcame that phase and said that he is now “very happy” with the moment he is living at Atletico Madrid, where he recently plays in a more advanced position than that of the left-back.

About that change, he said that at first he resisted a little, that his “favorite position is that of the left back”, but that he is another worker of the club and that he is “to help and add”. “I'm liking it better now. I am very happy in this new position,” he stressed.

He also stated that the recent arrival of Mozambican Reinildo Mandava, who also plays on the left back, gave him “more motivation”. He also stressed that coach Diego Simeone “is doing a great job”, despite the criticism he has received for the team's irregular performance.

“In the middle of the season all teams are going to swing,” he said, adding that Simeone asks them to “not settle down.” On the other hand, he called the match against Manchester United that they will play this Tuesday for the return of the round of 16 of the Champions League as a “final” League, after 1-1 of the first leg. “We are ready to play a great match (...) We tied, but everything is open for Manchester, who has a fantastic team,” he said.

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