Newcastle footballer reveals battle with depression

A Newcastle football player has revealed his battle with depression, according to thesun.co.uk.

Midfielder Yohan Cabaye, who has been at the club since 2011, said that he suffered from the mental illness when he started underperforming on the pitch.

The star had experienced a promising first season when he joined the club, however after playing poorly for his country France in the Euro 2012 tournament, the illness started to take hold.

According to dailymail.co.uk, the star said: "Depression? I am not afraid to say that. It was that."

He claimed that the lack of break between tournaments left him tired and wanting to think about anything else other than football. Cabaye said reading the books of fellow sportsmen Jonny Wilkinson and Rafael Nadal, who have also suffered with the illness helped him.

He added: "I was reassured reading the books of Jonny Wilkinson and Rafael Nadal, who both talked about the same thing. They talked about post competition depression and the need to have a break."

Those suffering from depression may also find that other measures, such as anti-depressants or counselling courses also help them to cope with the illness.

Cabaye finally managed to realise his illness when he suffered a groin injury last year, which he claims gave him time to rest and spend time with his family and friends.