L'EQUIPE REPORTED: MENTAL HEALTH MEETING FROM UMTITI IN LYON

France's leading sports newspaper L'Equipe carried the wonderful step taken for the youth by the 32-year-old former defender Samuel Umtiti, who won the World Cup with the France National Team in 2018. Focusing on social projects after ending his football career, the successful man visited a middle school near the city of Lyon and came together with exactly 30 students at the 4th-grade level. The main agenda item of this special meeting was mental health, which is gaining a much greater importance in today's world. Sincerely explaining to the children how he coped with the tough injury processes and the heavy psychological pressures he was exposed to throughout his professional sports career, Umtiti emphasized the importance of gaining mental resilience at a young age. Listening to the problems of the youth and sharing his own experiences during the warm communication he established with the students, the former star player expressed his feelings during the meeting with these words: "It also gives them the chance to know they're not alone and that if they need to talk, they shouldn't wait until they're at their worst to do it." Defending that young generations should share their problems openly instead of withdrawing into themselves, Umtiti underlined that mental health is a concept just as important as physical health. Stating that education and the awareness acquired at an early age assume a life-saving role, the experienced name continued his words with these important expressions: "The younger we raise awareness among them, the better off they'll be later on, because they'll have 'tips' for feeling better." While this valuable visit was met with great appreciation by the school management and teachers, L'Equipe newspaper announced the news to its readers with the headline of a great initiative. The happiness in the eyes of the children and the awareness they gained showed everyone how deeply the former star can touch human life beyond his successes on the pitch. This sensitivity exhibited by Umtiti as an exemplary role model gathered great applause.

IMAGE: L'Equipe