US soccer legend Landon Donovan opens up on mental health struggles, redefining success

Landon Donovan whitethorn beryllium 1 of the astir recognizable American men’s shot players of each time.

Donovan was a portion of the 2002 World Cup that made it to the quarterfinals and helped them get retired of the radical signifier successful 2010 pursuing a disappointing outing successful 2006. He scored 1 of the astir memorable goals successful 2010 erstwhile helium scored successful other clip to enactment the U.S. implicit Algeria and beforehand to the knockout stage.

With the highs that carried Donovan to newfound fame, determination were besides tremendous lows.

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Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan (26) successful enactment against Orlando City FC during the 2nd fractional  at StubHub Center connected Sept. 11, 2016. (Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports)

Donovan details his bout with depression, reconfiguring what occurrence meant to him and his unthinkable shot vocation successful his caller book, "Landon: A Memoir," which is acceptable to beryllium released Tuesday.

He opened up to Fox News Digital astir his intelligence wellness struggles and what slump looked similar for him.

"I had 2 antithetic types of experiences with depression," helium said. "I realized done therapy and successful retrospect that I’ve had an underlying depression, low-level slump my full beingness that I woody with today. So, determination are days wherever I aftermath up and and I conscionable consciousness down and bittersweet nad that is precise manageable for maine now. I’ve learned however to I’ve with that.

"But past I’ve besides had 3 episodes successful my beingness of precise superior depressive episodes that person lasted weeks that person been really, truly hard to get retired of. So, what chapeau look liked for maine – not being capable to get disconnected the couch, not wanting to devour and conscionable feeling similar there’s a monolithic broad connected apical of you that you can’t get disconnected and that’s a horrible feeling."

The erstwhile American shot prima said he’s recovered ways to propulsion himself retired of those moods, on with the assistance of therapy.

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USA guardant Landon Donovan (10) reacts aft astir scoring a extremity against Antigua & Barbuda during the 2nd fractional astatine Raymond James Stadium connected June 8, 2012. (Matt Stamey/USA TODAY Sports)

"I accidental the 3 Ms for me," helium explained. "Medication has helped a batch it my life. Meditation helps a lot. And then, successful immoderate cases, my mom. Just my ma being determination adjacent to maine has helped me. And so, I’ americium astatine a constituent present where, sound connected wood, it’s bee a long, agelong clip since I’ve had a large depressive episode. But medicine and meditation support my calm and workout truly – these are the 3 things present that truly support maine sane."

Donovan mentioned that helium truly began to conflict aft the 2006 World Cup and failed to people oregon supply assists for the team. He took the brunt of the disapproval from the media astatine the time. He was besides near disconnected the 2008 Olympics roster, though the squad featured a U23 roster.

The metallic lining to that is nary 1 was going to Donovan’s MySpace leafage to unload furious comments oregon adjacent decease threats akin to what nonrecreational athletes perceive now.

In that way, Donovan told Fox News Digital helium feels "very fortunate."

"We spot truthful galore radical who are successful the nationalist oculus who person to woody with societal media hatred, criticism, critiquing each the time. And this would person each been exacerbated for maine had that each been around," helium said. "I consciousness very, precise fortunate for a fig of reasons that societal media didn’t beryllium astatine that time, but it is simply a precise existent thing.

"People presume that due to the fact that we’re successful the nationalist oculus and we marque wealth and we person fame and our lives should beryllium easy. And by the way, compared to the idiosyncratic who’s struggling to enactment nutrient connected the table, it is easy, truthful I’m not minimizing that. But it is hard astatine times to woody with that. We are, arsenic humans, societal creatures. And we privation to beryllium liked, we each privation to beryllium liked, that’s normal. And to unfastened your surface each day, your telephone oregon your computer, and work radical disparaging you, is truly hard for humans. And sadly, we’ve seen it instrumentality many, galore lives."

Donovan retired from nonrecreational shot arsenic 1 of the top Major League Soccer players the league had ever seen. He helped the U.S. to 4 Gold Cup titles and the LA Galaxy to 4 MLS Cups.

Success successful 2026 compared to 2006 looks a small antithetic to Donovan close now.

LA Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida (4) and erstwhile subordinate Landon Donovan clasp aft defeating the New York Red Bulls successful the 2024 MLS Cup astatine Dignity Health Sports Park connected Dec. 7, 2024. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

"Success for maine present is peace," helium told Fox News Digital. "I americium astatine bid erstwhile I’m with my children. I’m astatine bid with my wife, erstwhile we get to travel, erstwhile I get to play golf. It’s sometimes brainsick for maine to deliberation that a kid who grew up successful a 900-square-foot location is flying to New York, staying successful a Ritz Carlton overlooking Central Park and to deliberation backmost astatine like, however did each this happen? But it wasn’t ever casual on the way. And so, for maine today, bid is each astir doing the things that that I love.

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"Sadly, my dada is simply a large portion of the book. He’s a large quality passim the publication and helium wasn’t astir increasing up. I was capable to reconcile with him astatine 25 years old, truthful astir 20 years ago. He passed distant successful December, and it was precise eye-opening for maine to beryllium adjacent to idiosyncratic arsenic they’re dying. You commencement to recognize that erstwhile I americium determination 1 day, what is really, really, gonna substance to me? So, erstwhile I deliberation astir it that way, and effort to deliberation astir that each day, what contiguous is truly gonna matter. Most things aren’t gonna matter. And so, the things that bring maine bid are the things I’m gonna enactment my vigor and effort into."

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